Sharing instagram-worthy photos of their kids latest #ootds and adventures has become second nature to many parents of kid influencers. Social media has become a vehicle to communicate as well as a space to chronicle memorable milestones in their lives.
For parents whose kids are celebrities or influencers, the act of sharing on social media takes on a whole new meaning. Not only are they simply sharing memorable moments, they are influenced by how an audience or a fanbase perceives each post.
One such parent is the mom of 6-year-old model Anastasia Knayazeva, who has put up an instagram account for her child, to share her modeling portfolio. As of this writing, she has over 872,000 followers.
With each photo shared by Anastasia’s mom, her followers can’t help but gush over the little girl’s striking features and beautiful blue eyes.
Anastasia is just one of the many kid influencers rising in popularity worldwide.
photo: Anna Knyazeva official instagram account
The dangers that ‘kid influencers’ face
The rise of children as influencers is one of the latest trends molding the landscape of social media worldwide. It is a lucrative industry, with some of the biggest and even emerging brands wanting to enlist the help of these young personalities to market themselves.
There’s no denying that online fame comes with its benefits—children learn to develop a work ethic, they can help their family boost their income and it can also teach them to become more creative and collaborative—there is naturally a downside to life in the spotlight.
Because of their internet fame, some kid influencers might be forced to grow up too fast. Once their popularity grows, there can be increasing pressure on them to present themselves and perform in a certain way.
As this is a new phenomenon, there are still no defined laws or boundaries to protect children who are gaining popularity in the industry.
Of course, it is up to their parents to shield their children as much as possible, but the internet can be a vast, unforgiving place.
What’s more, they can become prone to be targeted by child predators. This is one of the reasons why there are parents who choose to shield their kids from social media.
Ultimately, it is up to their parents where to draw the line, how to make sure their kids are not deprived of a memorable childhood in the pursuit of fleeting fame.
sources: Yahoo News,New York Times
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