The One Thing These Kid Influencers Lost

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Since I got my dogs, most of the videos I see on Facebook are about dogs. Most of the time I laugh and cry watching them. And yes, sometimes I’m thinking I should have a YouTube or TikTok channel featuring my life with my dogs.

It’s an idea.

The only thing stopping me is the thought we would be famous, and I will be consumed by money and fame.

I have seen it so many times, it started with one viral video and then it became an obsession to make the next viral video, and then to make more money as a social media influencer.

Imagine the life of a child influencer, what used to be fun has become a 24/7 operation and unlike in the movies or TV, it is unregulated. And who gets all the money?

Legally it is their parents or guardians as social media networks don’t allow anyone below 13 to even have an account on these platforms.

. . .

Childhood sold

It is amazing how much money some of these YouTube channels are making, one of the top earners on YouTube is an unboxing channel by this kid. He or his family is now estimated to be worth at least $100,000,000. He is a celebrity, with fans across the globe, and as long as he unboxed a toy, he would get views and sponsorships.

But what happens when he is no longer a kid? Will he move to unbox teen toys? Is that something he would want to do for the rest of his life — do unboxing videos?

To be fair, I don’t know how the family is managing the boy’s money.

. . .

I read this story from Teen Vogue, it is about Claire, not her real name. It is a story of lost childhood and she also happens to be a child influencer.

She’s a teenager now, but she has been ‘online’ since she was a toddler, and their family YouTube channels have about a billion views altogether. Her face is on merchandise and likely on memes.

Claire, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, has never known a life that doesn’t include a camera being pointed in her direction. The first time she went viral, she was a toddler. When the family’s channel started to rake in the views, Claire says both her parents left their jobs because the revenue from the YouTube channel was enough to support the family and to land them a nicer house and new car. “That’s not fair that I have to support everyone,” she said. “I try not to be resentful but I kind of [am].” Once, she told her dad she didn’t want to do YouTube videos anymore and he told her they would have to move out of their house and her parents would have to go back to work, leaving no money for “nice things.” — Excerpt,Influencer Parents and The Kids Who Had Their Childhood Made Into Content

Claire resents everything about being a social media star. Once she turns 18, she would come out with her story, and we would likely hear about it on social media.

She’s also considering going ‘no-contact’ with her parents once she moved out of their home, which was partly or bought entirely from the money she helped made by appearing on the family YouTube channels.

The law hasn’t caught up with the digital age. Unlike child actors who by law are protected not only with the time they can spend filming a movie or a commercial, their parents or guardians are obliged by law to put aside a percentage of their earnings that the child can claim once they turn into an adult.

. . .

Final words

It is sad. When you are not given a choice to decide on your own, the one question that would always be on your mind is,

What if I didn’t do it?

Some mom influencers are from a generation born at the same time social media came to be. They are likely to share everything about their lives and their kids.

Because it is almost second skin.

But some have realized that they are taking away something from their kids. Not only their lack of privacy could endanger them. As we all know there are a lot of dangerous people lurking and waiting on social media who target kids. But also by leaving all the digital imprint online it would be difficult for any kid influencer to turn away from fame or infamy once they are adults.

Their past is stored on the Internet and one day it will haunt them.

One kid influencer shared a letter to a TikTok mom influencer, and what he said is not only sad but almost a cry for help. It is also meant for all the child influencers out there, to let them know that many like them feel lost.

To any parents that are considering starting a family vlog or monetizing your children’s lives on the public internet, here is my advice: you shouldn’t do it,” the letter read. “Any money you get will be greatly overshadowed by years of suffering… your child will never be normal… I never consented to being online.”

What do you think should parents make money from their kids on social media or not? Let me know in the comments section, to weigh in.

Thank you for reading.

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This post was previously published on blogninja.

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