'Kidfluencing': What are pros and cons of posting kids content?

RTÉ News​

a day ago

'Kidfluencing' and other family-based commercial content marketing is on the rise, with research saying Ireland is part of a €24 billion global market.
The term 'kidfluencing' refers to parents sharing images or videos of their children or family life to build online audiences and, in some cases, attract lucrative brand deals.
The content can range from lighthearted family clips to slick sponsored campaigns. For some, it's a creative outlet and a source of income; for others, simply a way to share daily life.
But the rise of family-related content is also prompting debate about its impact on childhood and what it means for those growing up in front of an audience.
For over a decade, family-based accounts have been common on social media, documenting parenting and everyday routines.
Many have amassed large audiences, with some becoming significant sources of income for their creators.
However, concerns are emerging about the impact of this trend according to Dr Francis Rees, a law lecturer at the University of Essex and Co-ordinator for the Child Influencer Project, which researches the growing trend of commercialised child-focused content on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Dr Rees says the industry had a €24 billion market share last year globally, climbing to €33 billion this year, adding that both Ireland and UK are "definitely going to follow that trend" upwards.
"Within Ireland, there is over 1,200 accounts that have been mapped against the project so far," Dr Rees told Prime Time.
"It's a growing market. Brands and agencies are aware that this is a way in which they can save a lot of money in their industry. They don't have to pay a child a wage to come on to set."
As children increasingly become the focus of online content, some experts have warned about their safety, privacy and ability to give informed consent.
"I think the issue of child consent is a thorny one because you're looking about whether they have the cognitive capacity to be aware of the risks of what they're consenting to," child psychologist Colman Noctor said.
Mr Noctor believes that part of the challenge for parents is navigating a digital world their children often understand better than they do.
"This is the first time we're living in what's called a pre-figurative society. So, it's the first time that the young are teaching the old".
A pre-figurative society is one where, because of rapid social change, children end up teaching their parents, often about things like technology and new cultural norms.
In some countries, lawmakers are already responding to these shifts. France became the first to legislate in the area of child influencing in 2020.
The legislation puts child influencers on the same legal footing as child models and actors which means the responsibility is on brands to liaise with parents and to make sure that a percentage of the money made is put on trust for the child.
It also gives children a right to removal, which allows them to have personal data and images deleted from online platforms.
In Ireland, where there are no specific rules for child influencers, some parents have built large followings sharing family life online. Many say the benefits associated with their social media profiles has improved their children's lives and presented them with opportunities they would not otherwise have been able to access.
Julie Haynes, known as Twins and Me on social media, is one of many Irish mothers documenting daily family life. She began posting when her twins were under a year old and has since built a following of more than 400,000 across Instagram and TikTok.
Much of her content centres on parenting as a single mother, and on her seven-year-old twins.
The Cork-based influencer first began posting family related content because she wanted to show a more realistic version of being a parent than the version often presented online.
"I remember when they were babies and I was watching other influencers or content creators online, and I remember thinking to myself, 'it's not that easy'. They were only showing the good days," Ms Haynes said.
"That's why I started social media, because I think it's important to share the good, the bad, and the ugly," she added.
Ms Haynes says brand partnerships from her social media content have helped support her family during difficult times and it's something she plans to explain to her children when they're older.
"Only for brands coming to me to promote we would have nothing. You wouldn't be going on this holiday. You wouldn't be going on that holiday..."
Ms Haynes says the size of her audience means even a short video can reach hundreds of thousands of views, making her an attractive prospect for brands.
"I could have 100,000 eyes alone on my stories, and my reels could reach up to a million eyes," Ms Haynes added.
"If you ask my kids or any of their friends at the moment, what do you want to be when you're older? Gone are the days they're saying, beautician, astronaut, fireman, whatever. They're now saying, 'I want to be a TikToker, mom.' They love social media".
Broadcaster Síle Seoige knows all about being in the public eye, and has taken a different approach to posting content of her children online.
Ms Seoige posted images of her children in early childhood on Instagram, but as they grew older, she says her thinking shifted.
"We're biologically programmed to be utterly obsessed with our babies and want to share them with others. So, whether that's in a WhatsApp group or you're sharing with your followers on Instagram or whatever it might be, I get the desire, the urge to want to do that, but I think there are so many unknowns," Ms Seoige said.
She made the decision to stop sharing her children online when they both turned three, her biggest concern being that she worried her children would end up getting recognised while out in public.
"I think that would make me feel really uncomfortable if I was doing a food shop with my kids or in a playground and my kids got recognised because I've shared their images online. I really didn't want that."
Despite the reduction, she still continues to share her family life online, including holidays, birthdays and special occasions, just without revealing her children's faces.
"I think this is a space where we need, as parents, to be open to listening to the experts on this topic, keeping an open mind as to why we're sharing images of our kids online," Ms Seoige said.
Despite these concerns, some people who did appear online from an early age say they have reaped the benefits.
21-year-old filmmaker, Sean Treacy, from Wicklow, launched his career off the back of creating YouTube videos from the age of 12.
He says documenting his life as a child has given him multiple opportunities, including in TV presenting and working with filmmakers.
"When I was 14, just before I sat my Junior Cert, I got an email from a production company asking if I'd be interested in presenting a new RTÉ Kids TV show called Ace My Space. It was this massive opportunity for me at a young age," Mr Treacy said.
"I honestly don't know where I'd be without it. I think as long as you're doing it for the right reasons, I actually couldn't recommend it more," he added.
While he has benefited, others may not, as child psychologist Colman Noctor noted.
"It's important to remember that even though the online world is part of our lives, the iPhone baby has just turned 15", he said.
"So, we haven't really seen the impact of any of this on adulthood yet."