You may have stumbled across the account of a kids swimwear brand while doodling through Instagram. The account features various kidfluencers wearing bikinis and swimsuits. The ages of these children do not exceed ten. You might be shocked by the comments on these posts, but if you’re familiar with social media, you might not be. Here are a few remarks we came across:
Disturbing truths
In 2023, the Wall Street Journal conducted an investigation study and included data to support their claim that ‘Instagram links and promotes accounts that are openly dedicated to the acquiring and selling of child sexual abuse materials’. According to the article, Instagram lets users search for terms that its algorithms have identified as potentially hazardous or unlawful content.
Another New York Times investigative piece, “A Marketplace of Girl Influencers Managed by Moms and Stalked by Men,” published half a year ago revealed an alarming pattern. Unsettling information concerning young girls’ Instagram accounts run by their mothers is revealed in the piece. As the girls’ accounts gain popularity, more and more men follow them.
A significant number of these guys exhibit manipulative behaviors, such as bribing, intimidating, or even extorting the moms and daughters in exchange for more graphic material. Some accounts even provide paid material through memberships and access to private chat rooms. To find this tendency, journalists Michael H. Keller and Jennifer Valentino-DeVries examined data from more than 5,000 Instagram profiles with images of young girls.
Additionally, the study found that posts with more “racier” and “suggestive” material typically receive more likes and comments—mostly from male users. It was found that some guys were openly discussing and exchanging photographs of horrible thoughts they had about sexually abusing young girls whose accounts they tracked on Telegram, after watching their activities for several months.
The cut-throat world of social media
There is a lot of competition. Furthermore, none of the competitors are students attending colleges or universities or even attending schools. Young children who are being forced into the harsh world of social media in an attempt to “find a place in this world” are competing against one another. This is not just an issue in the West; it is also present in India.
The Indian influencer marketing market is projected to expand quickly, from Rs 900 crore in 2021 to Rs 2,200 crore by 2025. Not only are adults finding content production to be a lucrative career option, but children are now earning a significant amount of money as influencers for brands.
According to a study conducted by influencer marketing company Kofluence, Indian social media content producers make between Rs 20,000 and Rs 200,000 a month. This sum is comparable to, and in certain circumstances more than, the beginning salary received by alumni of the best business schools in India.
Even though the youngsters themselves don’t completely understand the possible risks, parents are pushed to publish images and videos of them online by the temptation of great money and notoriety for their children at a young age. Even while they appear “cute,” they are, to put it mildly, deadly. This not only puts youngsters in danger from online predators, but early social media use can harm their mental and emotional growth as well.
When kids become the ‘product’
When talking about how much time kids spend on social media, it’s important to distinguish between momfluencers and kidfluencers.
A mother influencer usually writes on family life, parenting, and lifestyle, frequently including her kids in the story. With an emphasis on her experiences as a parent, she directs the relationships and content.
A kidfluencer, on the other hand, is a young person who becomes the main subject of the material; brand deals and endorsements are driven by their charm and charisma. In order to maintain their social media profile, parents frequently create material that revolves around their kids’ toys, activities, or fashion.
Kidfluencers are more akin to the “product” in the spotlight, with grownups behind the scenes coordinating everything, whereas mom influencers discuss their parenting journeys.
More often than not, these children are thrown into the world of influencing without fully understanding the consequences. Parents may script the videos, and children rehearse before shooting. What appears to be a spontaneous, delightful moment to the audience could involve hours of practice. The pressure to create constant content is real and can take a toll on young minds.
The addictive nature of celebrity, which can drive these kids to drastic measures in order to maintain their status, is something that is rarely mentioned. Being famous at an early age makes people afraid of losing it, but hardly everyone is famous for long—you could be well-known one day and then completely forgotten. Is it possible for developing brains to handle this level of pressure?
Though it’s depressing to think about, paid promotions and content creation might occasionally turn kids into the main breadwinners. Because Instagram requires users to be at least 13 years old in order to register an account, parents are always in charge of their children’s money. Parents can take advantage of legal loopholes to profit from their children’s influence, which may seem disconcerting.
Do parents know what the long-term effects will be?
While their intentions may be to secure a future for their child or capitalise on brand partnerships, it often blurs the line between parenting and business. In reality, children are being monetised, often without fully understanding what this can lead to or how vulnerable they can get. Riddhi Doshi Patel, child psychologist and parenting counsellor, explains, “Parents usually operate from a space of less awareness and excitement and a desire to showcase their child’s talents to the world. In doing so, they often share extremely personal content – I’ve seen influencers post about their child’s bath time, poop time, and even meals. Why? If they knew how these images could be misused, or considered whether their child would be comfortable with it when they grow up, they likely wouldn’t be doing it.”
Emotional and cognitive impacts
Psychotherapist and Gateway of Healing founder Dr. Chandni Tugnait discusses the psychological and cognitive effects of forcing young children into leadership roles. She claims that even while the technique might seem innocuous, it can cause serious developmental problems for young children. The following are the main issues she brings up:
Broken attachment patterns: Rather than being caring, the parent-child bond may start to focus more on performance.
Reality blurring: Young children may find it difficult to distinguish between manufactured content and real-life events.
Social skills lag: Toddlers need to play and interact with people in the real world, not get virtual affirmation from likes and followers.
Unhealthy stress: At a vulnerable age, the need to continuously create material might cause stress.
Identity problems: Over time, children’s sense of self may grow unduly dependent on their online identity and outside approval.
Privacy issues: Without the children’s permission, their lives are being recorded and shared.
What role does consent play in this picture?
Here, the individuals in question are minors, and moms are typically in charge. This makes consent a complex matter, but Payel Narang, a child psychologist and parent coach, feels that consent is necessary.
“Although it may not be fully understood by toddlers or young children (5–6 years old), consent plays a vital role,” she says.
Payel discusses her strategy for responsibly handling consent. Payel is the mother of a 5-year-old kid who occasionally makes an appearance in her Instagram photos.
I’ve always made an effort to acquire my 5-year-old son’s permission before filming videos with him for social media. I’ve said since I was little that I create films for Instagram, where everyone can view them, in an effort to support other parents. I also explain to him what we’re filming and the subject matter of the films. I either shoot it without him or, if he’s needed, postpone it when he doesn’t want to join or isn’t in the mood. Even if he might not fully get the idea just yet, I try to get his permission and explain the purpose of the films.
Dr Riddhi Doshi Patel offers a few guidelines for parents to follow before posting content about their children:
By excluding certain aspects of the child’s life from the public eye, sharing fewer, more deliberate moments helps safeguard their privacy.
Parents should ask their older children’s opinions about what is shared about them on social media and engage them in conversations about it.
When a youngster shows signs of unease or reluctance to be highlighted, parents ought to acknowledge and accommodate their emotions.
Parents must strike a balance between their child’s enjoyment of social media and their right to privacy and protection, even if it may be an enjoyable and creative arena.
How to strike a balance
Psychologists stress the importance of safeguarding children’s privacy and well-being when sharing content online.
Dr Tugnait advises parents to limit exposure by selectively sharing meaningful moments, rather than turning their child into constant content. She explains, “As children grow older, involving them in decisions about what to post fosters respect for their autonomy.” Additionally, she suggests using privacy settings to ensure sensitive moments are only shared with close family and friends.
In line with this perspective, Payel Narang emphasizes the need to refrain from disseminating pictures or videos that can offend minors. She cautions against disclosing private information such as residences, addresses, or educational information. For example, she shares, “I’ve never posted a picture of my son in his school uniform or on school grounds,” highlighting the importance of being mindful of not sharing personal details online.
Keep a few questions in mind
.All parents want the best for their kids, but how can we actually determine what’s best for them? ‘What’s best’ is a very subjective and ill-defined idea. Consider the following before letting your kids create content: Is this what you want, or is this what your child wants? That straightforward query could provide a great deal of clarity.