- How health concerns have reshaped sponsorship in sport
- Why social media platforms may face similar restrictions
- The role of sponsorship in protecting young audiences
Society shapes sponsorship.
Over the past decades, companies from the tobacco, alcohol and gambling industries have invested heavily in sponsorship.
Marlboro’s iconic partnerships with McLaren and Ferrari dominated the Formula 1 paddock throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
After becoming relevant in Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis and football, social pressure led governments to impose bans and restrictions on these sectors.
Today, betting companies have a huge influence on sport. In Europe, 66% of clubs across 31 divisions have at least one betting deal.
What’s the problem?
Physical, health and mental harm to consumers.
Now, social media risks falling into the same category.
Australia has become the first country to ban social media access for users under the age of 16, including major platforms such as TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads.
The goal: to protect young people’s wellbeing.
Globally, 210 million users are addicted to social media, and 54% of teenagers report struggling to quit (Addiction Research, University of Michigan).
How does this affect social media platforms in sport?
Major players such as the NBA, UEFA, NFL, FIFA and the IOC have partnered with social media platforms to engage younger audiences.
As the health impacts of social media become more visible, social pressure to limit platform access and advertising will inevitably increase.
The companies behind the most popular platforms -Meta, Google, ByteDance and Amazon- have an opportunity to use sponsorship as a tool to protect their audiences.
This could include introducing access or usage restrictions, launching responsibility-focused campaigns, encouraging users to take more breaks, or making algorithms more restrictive around sensitive content.
In Brazil, the 2026 World Cup will be streamed for free via CazéTV on YouTube, in one of the countries with more addiction to social media. Why not use this moment to promote healthier digital habits?
More users and longer consumption hours drive revenue, but not sustainably.
As health concerns rise, social media platforms will have to choose: protect their audiences, or wait to be regulated.
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