Queen Mary University of London released a new study yesterday finding that music featured in toy commercials is reinforcing gender stereotypes, which could shape how kids perceive things as masculine or feminine.

Researchers Luca Marinelli, Petra Lucht and Charalampos Saitis sampled more than 600 toy ads featured on the Smyths Toys Superstores YouTube channel and tagged them as either feminine (163), masculine (149) or mixed audience (200). 

Analyzing the music specifically, the team found that commercials targeting boys tended to have louder, abrasive and distorted soundscapes compared to the softer and more harmonious tracks featured in ads targeting girls. Masculine ads also used powerful-sounding instruments like drums and guitars to convey their messaging, while feminine ones used finesse instruments such as harps. 

A majority of the commercials featured adult voices (79.5%). Most ads aimed at boys were predominantly speech-driven (81.2%), while female ones were much more likely to feature singing (46.6%). In terms of the voices themselves, 46.9% of the sampled commercials featured only masculine voices, and 39.8% were exclusively female. Only 5.4% represented both genders. 

The report notes that repeated exposure to gender-stereotyped ads can influence behavior, beliefs and attitudes in children as they grow older. A UK report published in 2020 by the Fawcett Society echoed these sentiments, finding that gender stereotype exposure in early childhood can lead to problems like negative body image, believing in limited career choices, developing eating disorders and committing violence against women.