The Effects of Advertising Disclosure Regulations on Social Media: Evidence From Instagram

Daniel Ershov & Matthew Mitchell

RAND Journal of Economics2025https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-2171.12493article
AJG 4ABDC A*
Weight
0.57

Abstract

We study the effects of advertising disclosure regulations in social media markets. Using data from a large sample of Instagram influencers in Germany and Spain and a difference‐in‐differences approach, we empirically evaluate the effects of German strengthening of disclosure regulations on post content and follower engagement. We measure whether posts include suggested disclosure terms and use text‐based approaches (keywords, machine learning) to assess whether a post is sponsored. We show substantial adoption of disclosure but also a 12% increase in sponsored content and an increase in the share of undisclosed‐sponsored content consumers are exposed to. We also find reductions in engagement, suggesting that followers were likely negatively affected.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-2171.12493

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@article{daniel2025,
  title        = {{The Effects of Advertising Disclosure Regulations on Social Media: Evidence From Instagram}},
  author       = {Daniel Ershov & Matthew Mitchell},
  journal      = {RAND Journal of Economics},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-2171.12493},
}

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Evidence weight

0.57

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.58 × 0.4 = 0.23
M · momentum0.72 × 0.15 = 0.11
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.