A1 presented a new nationally representative study on attitudes and trust towards influencers among young people in Bulgaria and the new campaign of „School for Responsible Influencers“ during a special „Open Day“. The event brought together journalists, content creators, educators and partners and focused on the closeness between influencers and their audiences, the responsibility that comes with influence, and the changing regulatory environment.
The BluePoint survey commissioned by A1 was conducted in June-July 2026 among 600 young people aged 14-20 who follow influencers. According to the results, 85.9% believe that content creators are fully or partially responsible for what they post. At the same time, 62.7% say they feel they know who their favorite influencers are, and 53.5% say they feel emotionally attached to them. The data outlines a relationship in which proximity, trust and influence are increasingly intertwined.
The study also shows how significant a part of young people's daily lives social networks occupy – 82% of respondents spend at least three hours on them a day, and 42.5% follow more than 10 influencers. Authenticity, useful information and personal experience are among the strongest factors for building trust, and 54.8% would stop following an influencer because of misleading or false information.
„Influence on social networks is not measured only by the number of followers. When young people spend a significant part of their day online, content creators become a familiar presence in their daily lives, and sometimes a source of trust and guidance. Therefore, for A1, the responsibility does not end with access to technology – it is important to support the knowledge with which they are used consciously, critically and safely. With the “School for Responsible Influencers“ we give content creators tools with which to make more informed decisions about what they publish“, said Iliyana Zaharieva, Director of “Corporate Communications“ at A1.
During the Open Day, guests got to know the program, the teachers and the graduates of the School. In the interactive format SAFE or NOT, led by Senior Assistant Professor Dr. Boryana Gigova from New Bulgarian University, the participants examined specific situations from the online environment on topics such as personal boundaries, unverified information, children in content, advertising messages and risky behavior.
The responsibility of content creators was also examined through the changing regulatory environment. Radostina Hristova, Chairwoman of the Bulgarian Association of Content Creators (BACS), presented the current European rules and the expected directions for the development of regulation.
BACS also emphasized the need for clear and applicable rules, created together with the sector – including regarding the designation of paid and barter partnerships, better protection of children, shared responsibility between influencer, agency and brand and the use of AI.
The topic of closeness between content creators and the people who follow them is also at the center of the new campaign of „School for Responsible Influencers“ with the message „Influencer by profession, friend by default.“ In psychology, such a one-sided feeling of closeness with a person we know mainly through their media presence, without having met, is known as a parasocial connection – a phenomenon on which the campaign concept is based.
Even before the Open Day, the School launched the social experiment The Friend Test with Emil Conrad and Juliana Georgieva (Julie Maruli). In two videos on their YouTube channels, the influencer's best friend confronts his followers with one question – who knows the person behind the profile better? The experiment aims to show how much of what is shared online remains in the memory of people on the other side of the screen.
The challenge continues on Instagram through The Friend Test Challenge. The special Add Yours sticker is available in Highlights on A1's profile and allows every content creator to check how well their own audience knows them.
“School for Responsible Influencers“ is the first of its kind educational platform in Bulgaria, created by A1 in partnership with the Safer Internet Center, the Bulgarian Association of Content Creators and the New Bulgarian University. The initiative is part of A1's larger commitment to building a safer and more responsible online environment for children and young people.
The program includes six training video modules, developed with experts in the fields of psychology, communications, media literacy and digital safety. They address topics such as online safety, digital well-being, cyberbullying, the impact of digital marketing on adolescents and responsible online behavior. After each module, participants take a test, and successful graduates receive a diploma for “responsible influencer“. More information about the program is available at safefluencer.bg.