All parents think that their child is the prettiest, smartest, and cutest kid they have ever seen. It is hard to be objective with your child. But sometimes those feelings get so strong that they think it would be harmless to share them with the world. Maybe just one cute video of my daughter singing, or just another one where she is playing with her dog. That is how I believe it starts.

Slowly, step by step the parents will continue to post content, and the more likes and followers they get the more encouraged they will feel. And it soon comes to a point where content is made for the audience on a schedule just like a business. I do believe that the parents had innocent motives at the beginning. And when the money started coming in it was too late to stop.

Is this something we want to support?

Even if you allow your children to watch only educational videos there are so many that star children. I have seen boys and girls out there doing funny science experiments, reciting the alphabet, playing with dolls and toys, promoting clothing brands, toys, snacks, candy and so much more. And it always makes me sad. Because I can just imagine what is happening behind the camera. No child should be exploited for other persons’ benefit. Not to mention that a life of a social influencer doesn’t have a touch with reality. They are overworked, surrounded by cameras where their every word and action is scripted. Children are being pushed into a world of likes, followers, and views when they should be playing, going to school, hanging with their friends and just being children.

And there are more and more accounts each day of parents showing off their children without thinking about the consequences they are making for the future. Maybe it is fun for us to watch them make an apple pie or play a piano but we don’t know how many times they had to do that. We have no idea of the pressure they could feel or the stress of being forced to make content on a daily bases under the watchful eyes of their parents.

And some parents will even post videos of their children when they are sick, going to the doctor, crying, and upset. I have seen children being filmed when they are having tantrums, screaming, crying, sometimes even scared and parents do it to get a cute reaction for the viewers. So I urge all of you not to support the exploitation of children in social media. Do not subscribe to their content, don’t put likes, don’t comment don’t follow. That is the only way. Just scroll away.

It is slowly starting to dawn on us

As the government and laws are slowly starting to see the problems regarding the child influencers there is still little solution. Starting July 1, 2024, parents in Illinois will be required to put aside 50% of earnings for a piece of content into a blocked trust fund for the child, based on the percentage of time they’re featured in the video. For example, if a child is in 50% of a video, they should receive 25% of the funds; if they’re in 100%, they are required to get 50% of the earnings. However, this only applies in scenarios during which the child appears on the screen for more than 30% of the vlogs in 12 months.

This solves the economic side in some of the situations. But for me, there is still the issue of consent. Children can not give consent. Some of them are even too young to understand what is happening to them. And their lives are being exposed for everyone to see.

Many YouTube parent vloggers or social media influencers post multiple videos each month or weekly, sharing intimate details about their lives, ranging from family financial troubles and the birth of a new baby to opening new toys or going through a child’s phone or report card. Although children are predominantly featured in these monetized videos, parents have had no legal obligation to give them any portion of their earnings.

Meanwhile, kid influencer accounts, which can at times earn $20,000 or more for sponsored posts, are typically run by parents and not often set up in the child’s name due to age restrictions on social media platforms. I think the hard truth is that in today’s modern age, most children should be grateful that they have parents that will not expose their personal lives to social media. Not everyone is so lucky. And until the government regulates this problem all we can do is not support them.

What is the impact on the children?

Even if the child influencers are creating content that is harmless, positive and not degrading for them there is still an impact. The fact that the content is open for comments. And we all know how cruel internet users can be, it opens a huge risk for the children. Very often it is more than one child in the family that is included in creating social media content. It’s very logical. As the older children grow up and tend not to be as interesting and cute to the public their place will be taken by the younger siblings. And the cycle of exploiting children will continue.

And this is all if the content is suitable for children. More often than not social media content is shocking, videos can be emotional and distressing to attract a larger audience. Some parents will post their dying kids’ last moments, they will video themselves saying their last goodbyes. You can watch videos of terminally ill children in their hospital beds being filmed while fighting for their lives. All to create sympathy, and of course make money.

Many parents and guardians will object to the idea that they have “pushed” their children into social media. Instead, they suggest that this was a choice – one that their children have made because they enjoy the platforms. Typically, these viewpoints will focus on the positives of child engagement with the social media world, such as exposure to entrepreneurial skills and business development. However, these parents frequently overlook the potential harm of exposing their children’s lives to large audiences who scrutinize their development and invade their privacy. 

What can we do?

Well, the most basic thing would be to stop watching social media content created by child influencers. It is that easy. Just scroll away. If there are no likes, no followers, and no views, money will be getting less and maybe the parents will stop and get real jobs.

We as a community can urge the companies that work with child influencers and there are so many of them. Mostly toy companies, child clothing, food, and beverage. We can send them a clear message that until they stop supporting and financially leading the era of child influencers we will not buy their products.

The other choice for us that want to be more involved or feel more strongly about it is to join civil groups that deal with these issues in our state. Join the cause. Urge the politicians and legislators to implement laws that will protect our children in this kind of situation. We are in the era of influencers. Everybody wants to be one. So there is no better time for this part of the industry to be regulated. For the future of our children.

Some of you may think that this is not a significant problem. Come on. It is just about a couple of funny videos. These kids are happy. They look well taken care of. But let me put this in some perspective. Imagine working in a company with which you have signed no contract. You do not even know how much your monthly salary is because you have never received it. And you work every day. You probably work more than 8 hours a day because the job needs to be completed. You are taped, given a script, and everything about your personal life has been made public, with no say in what will be posted about you on social media. And some of those moments you did not want to share with other people. Maybe in some videos, you were emotional, vulnerable, or they were just too embarrassing to share. However, nobody asked for your consent because they didn’t need it anyway. And then, as you get older, you are finally able to say, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t want to do this anymore.’ Good for you. But all the money made is gone. All the content made about you, including hours of videos, is still out there. You can not delete it. It is still generating income for the people who have used you for years. And all you are left with is a fake story presented to the public about how everything was perfect. You had so much fun, you were so cute and smart. Would you do it? Would you let it happen to you? I think not. So why are we letting it happen to children?