Your son’s attention

Most social media and gaming platforms are free. Which raises a simple question: how do they make so much money?

They don’t sell the app.
They sell your attention.

Every scroll, pause, click, and viewis tracked. That data is used to decide what your son sees next—and more importantly, which ads, and whose opinion, he’s most likely to engage with. The longer he stays, the more money they make.

It’s called the attention economy.

It also means something some people miss:

Your son isn’t the customer. He’s the product.

Content is never neutral. Feeds are designed. There is zero randomness about what your son is being fed online. Algorithms learn what keeps him hooked—then double down on it. Quickly, this shapes what he sees, what he believes, and what he thinks is normal.

And not everything is obvious. Most of it is disguised.
“Suggested for you.”
“Sponsored.”
Influencers recommending products.

They are all paid for by someone who wants your son’s attention. 

All part of the same system.

What matters for parents

You don’t need to ban technology. But you do need to name what’s going on.

Start here:

• Help him understand why he’s being shown something

• Ask: “Who benefits if you click that?”

• Build awareness, not fear

• Set clear boundaries and enforce them (even when it's hard)

Because once boys understand the game,
they play it differently.