Always_Ask_Questions,
“Indeed, My good-hearted kid just left a nice review and soon got an email suggesting a payment for a longer one with a video or something. This is a smarter semi-ganav.”
Why is it theft? Your daughter liked the product so much that she just promoted it for free. So what is the issue if the company pays her to promote the product in more detail? They’re not asking her to lie or deceive anyone. The only potential problem I can see is if her relationship/sponsorship with the company is not disclosed. I’m not sure if that would be a problem or not.
“Our halachik analysis so far is that this is akin to bribing a judge to issue a correct verdict – still osur.”
Your daughter already issued her verdict, didn’t she? They just want to pay her to say it again with more pizzazz.
“Or maybe it is simply a payment for the labor to express exactly same opinion in a better video form?”
Yes, that’s how I’m seeing it.
“Then mutar. Or maybe mutar aval asur so that the child is not getting used to sheker? please advise.”
What sheker is there, unless your daughter feels compelled by the payment to exaggerate her feelings for the product? This seems very different from fake reviews to me – presumably generated by people who didn’t buy the product, sockpuppetry, people who are offered benefits for writing a good review regardless of their feelings for the product, or bots/AI?