Child Exploitation
“Kidfluencers”
While scrolling through social media nowadays, particularly Youtube, TikTok, and Instagram, it is almost impossible to avoid a kidfluencer or a family who uses their children to make their own selves more appealing for the sake of gaining more money or following. It is also not rare that when asked what they want to be when they grow up, a child may respond that they want to be a Youtuber, TikTok star, or influencer. Kidfluencers are children who have a large social media following and earn money by doing so. Cordeiro (2023) shares in her article on humanium.org that kidfluencers have earned about eight billion dollars through social media throughout the past few years. However, at what cost to children is this money earned? Often, the children who are working as influencers are not protected by any type of law and there is little to no regulation of parent’s use of children on social media. Due to the increase in social media and the use of social media to make a living, the risk of child exploitation using platforms has increased.
A popular example of a kidfluencer comes from the Labrant family. The Labrant family, who is headed by mother and father Savannah and Cole, have four young children. Their most famous daughter, the oldest named Everleigh, is often featured in posts involving brand deals and has gained her own following on various platforms despite being only ten years old. However, their other children have also been questioned in their involvement with child exploitation. A popular case involving this family was when the Youtube stars released a documentary about children with cancer. In order to draw more attention to the video, the stars named the video “She got diagnosed with cancer” hinting that their second daughter had cancer after previously sharing about some health scares. Despite this, their daughter did not have cancer. The title of the video was named this in order to draw in more views and earnings. The Labrant family is one of thousands who use their children to draw in views and likes; therefore, earning more money by use of their children. As social media use prevails, the world must wonder how to protect children from being exploited for the sake of their family income.
Nickelodeon Star Jennette McCurdy
A line from the main gallery that I would like to focus on is “Higonnet argues that the question of this work as abusive or positive lies in the relationship the photographer has with her/his subjects”. We then go onto reading about how the Mann photo of naked Virginia even sparked some stalking. Media is an inherently dangerous tool and if not controlled the photographer, director, videography, etc. can abuse their power–Harvery Weinstein, Dan Schneider–or the actor, subject, material becomes abused due to this. This is especially prevalent in children’s media where the subjects are under the physical, financial, social rule of their parents.
Like any child under 18, of course they are subject to some form of legislature control. As we read about there is a layer of innocence that is protected and obligations the parents must fulfill via social contract. However, this control can be abused which can either stifle childhood innocence or completely wipe it out. A book–I haven’t read yet but is at the top of my list–called “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy is the story of the author and how her mom suppressed her inner desires.
This article by NPR asked Jennette some questions about the book and the struggles she went through. The full interview is here. What I find the most eye opening about this interview and look forward to reading in the book is how child stars are manipulated to act and feel a certain way which can certainly lead to dark paths later in life such as drugs, debt, eating disorders. This ties in with the concept of knowing and innocence this week because McCurdy hints at the fact that she is “knowing” now that her mom died because she is finally free. When we evaluate parenting skills and methods parents should try to focus on helping children “know” without crushing their innocence–a delicate balance.
For extra credit I suggest everyone Google “Coogan Account” and see how controlling child star’s parents can be! Jennette writes about hers in her book.
Influencer Parents Exploiting Children
Since the rise of social media, parents have been posting their children on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and now especially TikTok. This goes beyond the traditional family photos or few pictures of their children’s achievements. This in of itself is not inherently a bad thing. However it becomes a problem when they begin to use the child to gain more followers and in turn make more money. There are plenty of influencers that are now having children and using and are realizing how posting them within the content of their channel can boost ratings. The posts of their children essentially give them a wider fan base. In the article titled “If You Want To Make Good Money As An Influencer, Have A Baby” by Joanna Mazewsk Ihttps://www.moms.com/babies-best-social-influencers/ the author states, “As a matter of fact, getting pregnant and starting an Instagram account for your new bundle of joy might actually generate a lot of income on the side (Mazewsk, 2018)”.
However, the article also states, “It’s also been noted that while child models and actors are protected by state laws around working conditions, hours, and payment, the same doesn’t apply to Instagram posts (Mazewsk, 2018). Therefore the children don’t even have to receive the money that thier faces on social media are making.
It is not uncommon to find influencers now that have content based on their children. This is not to say that the content is negative, or that the intent is to harm the child in any way, however, many influencers use their children as the basis for what their “channels” are about. For instance @leafandlearn on Instagram makes post’s based on homeschooling and how her children are “more free” to learn and grow than children in school. She films her children and makes posts about what they do in a day and how their life is more “childlike” than others. This can actually be very helpful to parents that want to homeschool their children. However, her children are still the ones being in the videos.
Even worse is how this fame affects the children. In an article titled “Influencer Parents and The Kids Who Had Their Childhood Made Into Content” by Fortesa Latifi the author discusses how children can be affected by their parents’ persistence in the spotlight. She uses an example of a family that earned lots of money due to the posting of the child, named “Claire” for the sake of the article (not actual name). The family threatened the child when she no longer desired to be videotaped, “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.”(Latifi, 2023). It is also important to note that there is no law on the earnings of using children in youtube videos. Basically the money made from the videos that are posted using the child, may never actually go to the child.
There is also the risk that children face when becoming public icons. There is no shortage of creepy people who will use the images or content for a variety of terrible reasons. Bringing it back to Knowing a Child, Pictures of Innocence by Anne Higonet, where she talks about how the photographers she discusses never take photos without permission. She states, “ None of the photographers I have been in contact with take photographs of children after the children have indicated they no longer wish to be photographed” (Hignonet, 1998). However that no longer seems to be the case. To the left is an example of how two children Mila and Emma are so famous that their pictures and videos are all over the internet and for the taking. Below is a video of the risks of posting your children on social media.
References
Cordeiro, V. C. (2023, July 24). “Kidfluencers” and social media: The evolution of child exploitation in the Digital age. Humanium. https://www.humanium.org/en/kidfluencers-and-social-media-the-evolution-of-child-exploitation-in-the-digital-age/
Pellot, E. (2021, September 1). Labrant Fam: Family vlogging channel has faced controversy. In The Know. https://www.intheknow.com/post/labrant-fam-family-vloggers-youtube-controversy/
YouTube. (2019). What are the psychological effects of being a “kid influencer”? CBS Mornings. Retrieved September 18, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2gXFATeKKU.
Teen Vogue. (2023, March 10). Influencer Parents Are Changing How We Raise Our Children and What We Post Online. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/influencer-parents-children-social-media-impact
Higgonet, Anne. Picture of Innocence: The History and Crisis of Ideal Childhood. Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1998
@leafandlearn. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/leafandlearn/.
SWNS. (2023). Child exploitation expert says don’t post about kids on social media | SWNS
YouTube. https://youtu.be/17WSaOB7K4Y
Unknown Photographer. (2021, July). Emma and Mila [Photograph]. Education World. https://www.educationworld.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/f72bd834-f6b0-4202-b870-c918e7941e44-Emma_and_Mila_2X.jpg
Mazewski, Joanna. “If You Want To Make Good Money As An Influencer, Have A Baby.” Published July 18, 2018.
*** Please see Tags for Blogs Group D: “There is No Child Veto to Child Exploitation.” ***
Group D:
I really loved your side exhibition this week, and I think it is really eye-opening. It is definitely along the lines of the “Toddlers and tiaras” clip from the main exhibition. As I read through your exhibition, I am reminded of Mann’s defense of using her children in her book, an action that many thought was exploitative though she argued otherwise. I wonder how many of these children stars/influencers are in it because they want to be and how many, not (obviously not Jeannette McCurdy!). Connecting this idea to something I’ve experienced: My daughter was in competitive cheerleading for two years, and there was a big movement among many of the youth cheerleaders to be “Rebel” models. The company “Rebel” designs cheerleading uniforms and practice gear, and markets their products using the public. Perspective models send videos to the company, who reviews them and selects models out of the submissions. Models who are selected have to pay to buy the practice wear to model, attend a certain amount of “Rebel” events, and also keep up with their social media. One of the cheerleaders on my daughter’s team became a “Rebel” model, and I asked the mom if she thought these kids were being pushed into doing this modeling. She told me that a lot of the children want to do it initially on their own, but when they realize the commitment and the work involved, the story and perspective changes a little bit. At that point, though, contracts have been signed and people are legally bound. Just some food for thought!
Thanks so much for the information!! Great work!
Stephanie
Group D, really poignant side exhibit about child exploitation in today’s media. I was especially struck by the inclusion of “kidfluencers.” This is such an interesting and upsetting part of the exhibit because it is largely the parents of these children, the ones who should be protecting their kids from danger, who are exploiting them for tens of thousands of dollars online. I think the really insidious part is that the filming usually happens in the home, which can make a very confusing environment for the children who live and play in the home but are also put on camera specifically to work for money that provides them the home. It makes the space that the children occupy a set for them as a product instead of a home for them to grow and learn in. There was a recent arrest for the mom of the old YouTube channel “8 Passenger” for child abuse and neglect and her vlogs were used as evidence that convicted her. I also recently saw an interview with one of the boys who grew up on the TLC show “Jon and Kate Plus 8” who was permanently traumatized by the experience of growing up on television. I think we all know that growing up as a commodity to be consumed is dangerous for one’s psyche, so I think the real question should be at what point does this type of behavior and exploitation from the parents become a reason to intervene.
When the psychologist in the first video discusses the effects of a life online for child stars, I think she says it all when she states’ “the child is the product”. Definitely there needs to be tough regulations in place for putting children online to make money. Social media is exploding and with YouTube channels promoting children, legislation needs to work to protect them (sadly, sometimes protection from their own parents). It’s the children who must accept the pressures and disappointments that are inevitable at some point. Even if they are, right now, “having fun”. The long-term effects are not well known at this stage as the whole concept of kids being a part of the blogging and YouTube communities to promote themselves and their families is so new. While reading the article about Mann and her photography I also kept coming back to social media and how parents share their children’s photos, videos, etc with the online community with or without their consent. And this level of online exploitation takes it even further down a dark path. It’s sad to think that childhood today is for sale. I really enjoyed your post and learned a lot about the effects of childhood online and social media exploitation of childhood.
Out of curiosity, as I was reading this, I asked my 15 yo if she knew who the Labrant family was. She launched into a very passionate rant about how awful they are! She then talked about Jeanette McCurdy and her book (she insists I need to read it, too). She has been very adamant about giving consent before we are allowed to even post pictures of her on our social media, even if they’re just the basic first day of school pictures (they require prior approval, of course). This new generation of kids know so much more about consent, because it’s such a part of their reality. It’s easy to see the appeal of wanting to show off our beautiful, brilliant kids to the world, but parents need to consider the dark side of that, too. (and also, everyone has beautiful, brilliant kids!)
Group D,
I thought your exhibit was really well done! I asked this question in response to a prompt on the main gallery page about who will protect the children and you seem to have hit the nail on the head with your three connections. We are seeing more and more stars like Jennette McCurdy, the Olson Twins, and Macaulay Culkin struggle with the fame that they never truly wanted. We see that parents are pushing this idea onto children for fame or for money. You are also absolutely right in that students often respond they’d like to be YouTube stars as a job when they grow up, I see it every year I teach. They think it will be a fun and easy job, however, popular YouTubers are constantly working on filming content, editing, and endorsing deals.
The parents misguiding their titles in order for clicks and continuing to post pictures despite their children not wanting them to reminds me of the connection one classmate made to parents forcing a sport onto their child to relive the glory days of their childhood. It seems that people who cannot make videos, pictures, or fame for themselves force their children to do it despite the consequences to their children. I really enjoyed your side exhibit!
Hi Group D! It is stunning to learn these details about how many children want to be a Vlogger or YouTuber and the potential amount of money involved. In the CBS This Morning video, I was struck by the grandmother Pat Phillips saying she doesn’t know how it will influence her granddaughters when they get older … “They’re little girls. I want them to stay like that.” Not surprisingly, she looked and sounded close to tears.
Dr. Sue Varma gave us many insights, including the idea of a sense of self being linked to public approval, without having the social skills to deal with this. In doing some browsing online, I see that Dr. Varma has a book available for pre-order … Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being (https://www.doctorsuevarma.com/). It looks fascinating!
To chime in with Stephanie, Kendall, and Lindsay, the quote about the child being “the product” is so direct and on point. And being “the product” doesn’t let up … “When does it end? It’s a 24/7 job.”
The reality of people stealing images of babies and children is alarming. My goodness, if someone posts a child’s full legal name and date of birth, that’s a tremendous amount of identifying information.
The part about instant gratification and hopes for children’s futures resonated for me. I smiled hearing the example of a child wanting to be an astronaut … because I had wanted to be an astronaut! (I’d be glad to talk more about this.)
For “There is No Child Veto to Child Exploitation,” it’s powerful to see these videos of Brooke Sheilds. I’m intrigued by her realization that she had compartmentalized a lot. I was moved hearing her say, “I’m amazed that I survived any of it.”
Thanks for your thought-provoking exhibit!
Great piece, Group D! A few years ago about half of my class aspired to be an influencer as their “what they wanted to be when they grew up” answer. So many children are primed for an audience by endlessly posing for simple family photographs- it’s amazing to see even young children completely change their affect when they see a phone ready for a photo. It makes me NOSTALGIC 🙂 for the old photos before digital cameras, where everyone was so unassuming and at ease with themselves. There’s an instagram account “90’s art school” that illustrates those types of photos which aren’t seen much today.
Thank you for bringing this to light in your exhibit- it’s an area often taken for granted and overlooked in terms of how much children’s role in media and even simple family photography has changed so dramatically. Great piece!
Group D,
This is such an interesting topic to read about and one that I think deserves a lot more attention. I think we’re reaching a point where people are starting to notice the negative effects of child fame. Growing up, I remember seeing lots of family channels on YouTube, and looking back, I realize how invasive that may feel to the child later on in life; I can’t imagine having every part of my childhood captured and put on the internet for everyone to see. I’m also curious to see how the film industry adapts to stories like Jennette McCurdy’s. Children are placed in a world they aren’t equipped with the social skills to handle, and in those situations, they can be abused. I’m glad there’s a light being shined on these issues, and I hope resolutions occur soon. Thank you for your insights!
Kids on social media. I really have huge opinions about this. I have done my best to keep my kids off social media in any fashion since they were young. One of the biggest reasons for me was I worked in the ER and ambulances, people would threaten me and my coworkers sometimes. I have a psych patient once say that he would figure out where we lived by finding our Facebook accounts, that really freaked me out. I deleted everything I had online after that and would no longer add personal information or have my kids faces online.
These families that are making money off their children and often exposing their families in such a public way is something that I feel we only have a small understanding of at this point. And unfortunately like many things we do not have enough evidence to understand the ramifications until much later.
I think the big story in the news is that 8 passengers family that the mother is now in jail. I think there will be a lot of changes to what parents can put online after that all goes to trail. I am sure there will be a media frenzy.
Group D, this was very eye opening! The YouTube video discussing the psychological effects of being a kid influencer was concerning. They compared it to child stars who cannot handle the rejections. They have instant gratification but no coping skills. When it comes to protecting children, we do not know the effects of this in the future for these kid influencers and how it affects children watching these influencers. Is it affecting their own self-esteem and their image of themselves. It was very informative discussing the dangers of sharing your child’s imagery publicly. This definitely brought me back to Mann photos of her daughter which exposed her to potential dangers.