Teenagers and personalized digital advertising: When intrusion triggers resistance: An exploratory study

Authors

  • Wafa Naat EPB
  • Wafa Akrout

Keywords:

Teenagers; personalized advertising; intrusion; advertising invasion; resistance

Abstract

Equipped with new artificial intelligence technologies, companies now have the possibility of delivering personalized offers to meet consumers’ expectations and needs in a unique way through targeted or personalized advertising.

This research treats the personalization of mobile advertising, which is now omnipresent in the browsing habits of young internet users. The massive use of smartphones by teenagers enables marketers to collect their data, more specifically via cookies, to refine their targeting.

This qualitative study, carried out with 17 young teenagers, aims to understand advertising intrusion by taking account of the impact of personalization and advertising saturation on their ability to resist it.

The results show that some teenagers believe that personalized advertising can sometimes be useful and interesting. However, this interest seems to be influenced by a perception of advertising invasion. The intrusion of advertising is perceived as a violation of privacy. As a result, these young teenagers do not hesitate to install software to avoid it, or even fully block it.

Author Biographies

Wafa Naat, EPB

Wafa Naat holds a PhD in Management Sciences

She is lecturer at EPB, a work-study business school. Her research focuses on the influence of advertising on adolescent behavior.

Wafa Akrout

She is researcher at Lipha and Associate Professor in Management Sciences.

Dr. Akrout heads the International Business Negotiation track within the Master’s program in Management and International Trade at Université Paris-Est Créteil. She is a specialist in marketing, her research primarily explores inter-organizational trust within client-supplier relationships, as well as the concept of advertising saturation, particularly in digital environments.

Published

2025-12-18

How to Cite

Naat, W. ., & Akrout, W. . (2025). Teenagers and personalized digital advertising: When intrusion triggers resistance: An exploratory study. International Transitions, 3(1), 64 - 81. Retrieved from https://journaleska.com/index.php/rit/article/view/10652