A recent study by Common Sense Media highlights a phenomenon that often escapes the attention of parents and educators: a growing number of boys aged between 11 and 17 are taking part in forms of gambling even before they reach the legal betting age.
An investigation into a global reality
The report, Betting on Boys: Understanding Gambling Among Adolescent Boys, is based on an extensive survey of more than 1,000 American boys aged between 11 and 17. The results are clear: 36% of boys said they had taken part in some form of gambling in the previous year. This proportion increases with age, rising from a third among the youngest to almost half among older teenagers.
For James P. Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, the situation is a wake-up call:
‘More than a third of boys gamble before they are even old enough to vote.’
Factors studied
Video games, the gateway to gambling
Contrary to the traditional image of gambling – casinos, sports betting or poker – the report reveals that exposure to betting often begins in the digital spaces that boys already frequent. In many popular video games, mechanisms such as loot boxes, skin boxes or random draws work on a principle similar to that of a bet: you bet money for an uncertain reward.
This indistinction between gambling and betting is worrying, because it masks the reality of betting behaviour behind seemingly harmless entertainment. For some boys, these systems are not simply a gambling expense, but an experience that reproduces the sensations and mechanisms of traditional gambling.
Social networks and algorithms
As well as the games themselves, social networks play a central role in teenagers’ exposure to gambling-related content. Nearly half of the boys who said they gambled also said they regularly saw content promoting gambling or betting, often automatically recommended by the platforms’ algorithms.
These personalised recommendations generally come from feeds that mix videos from creators, adverts and extracts from games. With no real age filter, this content reaches teenagers who do not yet have the maturity to understand the stakes or risks associated with these practices.
The social environment
The study highlights the importance of the social environment in normalising gambling among boys. Boys who have friends who bet are significantly more likely to engage in betting activities themselves. More than 8 out of 10 boys whose friends gamble have gambled themselves during the year, compared with less than 2 out of 10 boys whose friends do not gamble.
In some cases, betting is not limited to the circle of friends: a third of the boys also said they had bet with members of their family. This intergenerational transmission further normalises the practice and reduces the psychological threshold that might otherwise dissuade a teenager from trying.
Amount spent and risk-taking behaviour
The study also reveals a major disparity in the behaviour of young punters. While the average annual amount spent by boys who gamble is around $54, this figure masks marked differences: some teenagers spend much more, often using means that circumvent age controls, such as using credit cards belonging to their parents without their permission.
Consequences: from stress to addiction
Although the majority of boys who gamble do not report any immediate serious harm, the study points out that more than a quarter of the boys involved in these practices experience stress or conflicts related to gambling. Among those who gamble frequently and among those whose friends gamble, this rate is even higher.
These signs may be early indicators of problem behaviour. In the long term, early and repeated exposure to gambling mechanisms during a critical period of brain development could increase the risk of addiction or other psychological difficulties.
What can you do about it?
In view of these findings, the authors of the report and several experts stress the need for coordinated action. For James P. Steyer, responsibility does not lie solely with parents:
‘Of course, the protection of your children should not rest entirely on your shoulders. We are lobbying for common-sense guarantees such as age verification, advertising rules that genuinely protect minors and responsibility for promoting gambling in digital spaces used by children. The reality is that we are at an inflection point. We can either let gambling become normalised during boys’ most vulnerable developmental years, or we can act now – with education, safeguards and real accountability.’
The report calls for open and regular conversations between parents and children about gambling and betting, more active monitoring of the digital content consumed by young people, as well as the introduction of mandatory age verification on platforms and tighter restrictions on the promotion of gambling on social networks.
The report highlights a digital culture in which betting and gambling are gradually becoming part of boys’ daily lives even before they come of age. Without collective awareness, this phenomenon could become deeply entrenched and have serious long-term consequences.