The sexual and darker consequences of “kid-influencing”

You may have seen an account of a children’s swimwear company with a number of kidfluencers wearing bikinis and swimsuits while scrolling Instagram.

These children are no older than ten. You may be shocked when you read the comments on these posts.

Dark side of Kid-influencing

Punjab news: “Instagram connects and promotes accounts that are openly dedicated to the purchasing and selling of child sexual abuse materials,” according to an investigative investigation published by the Wall Street Journal in 2023, along with supporting documentation.

Additionally, Instagram lets users search for terms that its own algorithms identify as potentially dangerous or unlawful content, according to the research.

“A Marketplace of Girl Influencers Managed by Moms and Stalked by Men,” another investigative piece published by The New York Times a few months ago, highlights a concerning trend.

Strange information regarding young girls’ Instagram profiles, which are run by their mothers, is revealed in the article.

As these accounts gain popularity, more and more male followers follow them.

In order to obtain more adult material, many of these males use manipulative tactics including flattery, persuasion or even blackmail.

Some accounts even provide paid material through subscriptions and special chat sessions.

Additionally, the study found that posts with more “racier” (sexy) content typically receive more likes and comments, primarily from male users.

Following several months of monitoring Telegram activity, it was found that some individuals were openly discussing terrible fantasies and exchanging photographs in which they sexually abused young girls whose accounts they followed.

Completive industry

 There is a lot of competition. Additionally, none of the competitors are college or university students or even schoolchildren.

The contest is between naive young infants who are being forced to navigate the harsh world of social media in an attempt to “find a place in this world.” This is not just an issue in the West; it is also occurring in India.

Punjab latest news: The influencer marketing industry in India is growing rapidly and is expected to reach a value of Rs 2,200 crore by 2025, up from Rs 900 crore in 2021.

Content creation has become a lucrative career option, and it’s not just adults—kids are also making substantial money from brand endorsements as influencers.

An analysis by influencer marketing firm Kofluence shows that social media content creators in India earn between Rs 20,000 to Rs 200,000 per month.

This amount rivals, and in some cases, exceeds the starting salaries of graduates from top Indian business schools.

Even though the children themselves are not entirely aware of the risks, parents feel obligated to post images and videos of their children due to the temptation of fame for their kids at an early age and large sums of money.

While they seem ‘cute’ but it’s dangerous to say the least. Early social media exposure can harm a child’s mental and emotional development in addition to exposing them to online predators.

Kids treated as ‘Products’

It’s critical to distinguish between momfluencers and kidfluencers when talking about kids’ social media exposure.

A mother influencer usually produces parenting, lifestyle, and family-related content, often including her kids into the story. 

She directs the content with an emphasis on her experiences as a parent. 

A kidfluencer, on the other hand, is a child who takes center stage in the content, and their charm and personality drive brand endorsements and partnerships.

Parents control their social media profile, frequently producing posts about their kids’ toys, fashion, or activities.

Kidfluencers are more like the “product” in the spotlight, with mature adults behind the scenes planning everything. 

These kids are frequently thrust into the world of influencing without fully comprehending its implications. 

Parents may write the scripts for the videos and children practice before filming. Hours of practice may go into what the audience perceives as a spontaneous, enjoyable moment.

Young minds can be negatively impacted by the real demand to produce stuff constantly.

The addictive nature of popularity, which may lead these kids to take extreme steps in order to preserve their fame, is rarely mentioned.

Being famous at an early age makes people afraid of losing it, but popularity is impermanent– one day you’re celebrated, and the next, forgotten.

The question is: can young minds cope with this kind of pressure? 

It’s depressing to think about, but through paid advertisements and content creation, kids can occasionally take over as the main source of income.

Due to Instagram’s age restriction, which requires users to be at least 13 to register, parents are always in charge of their kids’ money.