![]() There is also a risk that these children are taken out of education to earn money to which they have any legal right (Wong, 2019). Without labour laws or work permits, children are exposed to infinite working hours with no regulations around their well-being or rest and recreation times (Wong, 2019). Loss of privacy, child labour, child exploitation and deprivation of other opportunities (such as missing school) are all common risks – as well as the additional physical and psychological harms such as exploitative practices due to the unregulated nature of the social media space (Masterson, 2020). In spite of this, the same harms exist for “Kidfluencers” as child actors. Their activity fails to be viewed as ‘ work’ due to the absence of an employer-employee relationship and the fact that children are deemed to be undertaking normal activities on camera rather than putting on a “performance” (Masterson, 2020). Though child actors are able to gain access to numerous protection mechanisms, “Kidfluencers” are treated differently because their activity takes place in a private home setting on a platform in which parents consensually participate (Masterson, 2020). Perhaps most worrying is the absence of legislation and policy for the protection of children involved in this practice. “Kidfluencers” with one million followers or more are able to earn $10,000 or more per sponsored post (CBS, 2019). ![]() The large sums of money involved in the industry provide a strong incentive for parents and guardians, elevating the level of child vulnerability. Ryan is one of many children at the heart of the industry in which families of “Kidfluencers” receive compensation for sponsored content promoted on social media platforms, digital advertisements and merchandising (Masterson, 2020). 7-year-old Ryan Kaji, the child at the centre of the channel, earned an estimated $22 million in 2018 (Lambert, 2019). As a result, most “Kidfluencers” parents manage their accounts in order to sustain their online presence.įamous “Kidfluencers” such as Ryan Toys Review on YouTube (an account that currently has 28 million subscribers) are under constant pressure to produce content on a regular basis (CBS, 2019). Most social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube require users to be 13 years old or older to create accounts on their websites. Kid Influencers or “Kidfluencers” are children who have been posted online on different social media platforms generating large numbers of viewers and followers, often earning money for sponsored content (Masterson, 2020). There is a strong case for expanding existing legislation, which protects child labourers and performers, to encompass children’s participation in social media content. In fact, many jurisdictions are so deferential to parental rights to make autonomous decisions when raising their child that there is little to no regulation of the production of social media content involving children (Langford, 2020). ![]() Children are at grave risk of exploitation because they lack the legal right to the earnings they generate, or safe working conditions and protections via labour laws (Masterson, 2020). In the past few years, “Kidfluencers” – children with large social media followings – have catalysed an $8 billion social media advertising industry, with highly ‘successful’ children generating up to $26 million a year through advertising and the sharing of sponsored content (Masterson, 2020). The dark cloud hanging over this new phenomenon is the fact that parents simultaneously have the power to profit off their children’s participation in this commercial activity, but also the responsibility to safeguard their human rights (60 Minutes Australia, 2020). Personal media sources such as home videos have quickly become a lucrative market, which raises stern questions about the role of parents in safeguarding their children’s rights in this new commercial space. Influencer marketing is one of the fastest-growing segments of the corporate industry the attention of the masses is just one easy, accessible click away (60 Minutes Australia, 2020). ![]()
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