Author: Saisha Agarwal, Graphics: Sylvia Tirado
Kids’ fame can go from home videos to viral stardom, but is it worth it if they end up losing a normal childhood?
Introduction
They start as simple home videos and grow into multi-million dollar industries centered around youth. With just a few scrolls on TikTok or Instagram, one can easily find child influencers who command millions of followers, attract lucrative brand deals, and generate substantial revenue.
“Kidfluencers” represent a significant portion of the social media market and command millions in ad revenue, with Forbes reporting that the child influencer economy was worth $1.7 billion as of 2019. Exploring the topic of child influencers can shed light on the future of this new social media industry and may help with understanding the dynamic externalities the industry generates.
The Influencer Economy’s Youngest Stars
One prime example of a rising “Kidfluencer” is Ryan Kaji, who began as a young child unboxing toys on his family’s YouTube channel, Ryan’s Toy Review (now Ryan’s World). What started as straightforward reviews transformed into a multi-million dollar brand, complete with product lines, licensing deals, and a massive following.
Looking back at the Ethics of Childhood Fame
The growing presence of child influencers on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram has led to conversations about the financial and ethical implications of their contribution. While young creators generate large amounts of revenue through brand deals and endorsements, there has been little regulation regarding their earnings or labor conditions, bringing forward the topic of financial exploitation in child entertainment and talent industries—a concern rooted not only in the modern algorithm, but also in Hollywood’s early history.
Hollywood’s past struggles with child actor protections, which eventually led to laws like the Coogan Act, named after child actor Jackie Coogan who lost most of his earnings to exploitation by his parents. The Coogan Act was enacted to protect child actors’ financial interests, mandating that a portion of their earnings be set aside in a trust until they reach adulthood.
Unregulated Work and Earnings
Today, as social media surpasses the reach and capitalistic possibilities of even the highest pinnacles of entertainment like Hollywood, child influencers bring in substantial income comparable to their acting counterparts. Yet unlike child actors, they often operate without the same regulatory safeguards designed to protect minors in traditional entertainment. This lack of oversight raises serious concerns: parents or managers may exploit a child’s earnings, children may be pressured into excessive labor under the guise of “content creation,” and the blurring of personal and professional boundaries can erode their privacy, education, and mental health.
With the flexible nature of content creation, the hours child influencers work are often not quantified, meaning that parents and guardians can push these young creators into extended, unregulated labor without oversight. Despite current legal developments, achieving truly ethical practices for child influencers through legislation remains a nuanced challenge as many experts argue that current protections are still inadequate.
Cases of Exploitation: Piper Rockelle’s Story
The story of Piper Rockelle, a former child influencer, acts as an ode to this concern. Piper started as a young influencer on YouTube, building a huge following by sharing videos of her daily life, challenges, and pranks. However, as her channel grew, reports began to surface that she was being subjected to a high-demand, abusive, work environment supervised by her mother and manager, Tiffany Smith.
Several of her former friends and collaborators filed lawsuits alleging that Tiffany Smith created a high-stress environment, pushing Rockelle to perform and complete long shoots, sometimes late into the night to meet content demands. Piper’s story, one of the many child influencers who were exploited by their guardians, further brings attention to the lack of regulation in the social media influencer industry, particularly for minors.
Legal and Platform Protections for Kidfluencers
However amidst these concerns behind the screens, regulations are being made in the courtroom. Child influencers in California have gained legal protections after Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 764 , a legal protection for the finances of content featuring children. The law requires that a percentage of earnings generated by child influencers be set aside in a trust until they turn 18. The act also mandates greater oversight regarding the working conditions and privacy of minors featured in social media content, addressing concerns about exploitation and the long-term effects of their digital presence.
Beyond the legal protections that were recently put in place, the conversation about the best interests of child influencers only deepens further. While regulations like the recent California Senate Bill are transformative steps, experts argue that they only scratch the surface of the larger issues at hand. Many advocate for more regulation to enforce standards not only around child earnings and working hours but also to consider the psychological impact of early online attention on “kid-influencers” mental health and sense of identity in their adult years.
Unlike traditional child actors who work in regulated environments with oversight from studios and unions, child influencers often work within systems similar to family-run businesses where boundaries and professional accountability are blurred or even cease to exist. This dynamic places parents balancing the benefits of their child’s’ financial successes with the responsibility to protect their well-being. In many cases it is the parents, often called “Mom-agers” or “Dad-agers,” who control both the front-end content and back-end finances of their child, making it challenging to judge genuine parental support from self-serving motivations.
Outside of governmental courtrooms, calls for the platforms of child influencers themselves to take a more active role in protecting young influencers continue to grow. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram currently have limited policies around the treatment of child influencers. While some platforms enforce age restrictions and allow parents to manage child accounts, there are few guidelines on revenue sharing, content oversight, or the psychological impact of prolonged social media exposure on minors.
Ultimately, as children contribute further and more significantly to the social media industry, there must be stronger steps ensuring their safety from exploitation and pressures. Laws such as SB 764 are landmark beginnings, but not the final means to ensure the overall well-being of Kidfluencers. Today’s digital era calls for even more robust protections that respect the current realities in the world of media and entertainment. Influencer or not, every child deserves to have their futures protected, preserving not only their financial earnings, but also their childhoods.
Take-Home Points
- Significant Earnings: Kidfluencers command millions in revenue, positioning the youth influencer market as a major industry.
- Case Study – Ryan Kaji: How social media led a toy-reviewing child to become a brand magnate, Kaji exemplifies Kidfluencer success.
- Exploitation Risks: Extended work hours and management by family without oversight raise ethical concerns.
- Legal Efforts – SB 764: California has enacted financial protections similar to the Coogan Act, but national and platform-level regulations remain limited.
- Future Protections Needed: Calls for comprehensive safeguards continue as experts argue for policies addressing financial, labor, and psychological impacts.
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