Child "Influencers" (Exploitation)

[Nancykitt]

I keep on seeing jumping kids that are jumping higher and higher but actually they don't really have the muscle control to prevent the weight of their head flinging them around like a ragdoll, but everyone raves about how amazing the little cherub is.

This. I've seen videos of small children jumping big fences on very big (ie, much too big for the child) horses. I don't see how leg aids can come into it based on the position of the legs and I felt sure that the horse was largely on autopilot. I have to say that I admire the confidence it takes to do this but to be honest I've seen some similar aged riders on suitably sized ponies actually 'ride' the pony into a fence/round a course, which I actually find more impressive from a riding skill point of view. And I can see that anyone pointing this out is likely to be totally blasted for being horrible to a cute child.
All those saying that parents are the real problem here - I agree 100%. In music teaching we often came across children who were clearly gifted and in some cases the parents totally ruined things for them. One case that I remember, the mother was obviously living her own fantasy of fame through the child, who was clearly uneasy about being paraded at every opportunity. One day the (then) teenager refused to play again and walked away from the recitals & publicity. The mother was broken, but the child (autistic/ADHD) was vulnerable and shouldn't really have been put through something they weren't happy with.

Years ago one of my former pupils at school auditioned for a temporary role in Coronation St - it was made permanent and I think he's still in it now. The whole thing was handled well by the agents and the parents. However, we didn't have social media back in the day and the potential for things to go horribly wrong would have been massive.

I am totally repulsed by the thought of a parent setting up a paid content channel involving a child. At best, it's incredibly naive. At worst, it's simply abuse.

 

[vam]

I have no time for child influencers or more importantly, their parents. Everyday eventers got real crap from certain influencers followers for voicing her opinion on the matter, their followers have a tendency to be a bit rabid when people dont idolise them like they do and disagree with children's lives being plastered over the internet, especially when they are ill and are shown in hospital being very low. I refuse to give them any air time and watch their content, but all the time people do, brands will pay them, more people will watch them and the cycle continues. Brands are equally to blame and need to have a good look at their ethics around child influencers and realise the more they gift etc the harder that child has to work. Putting a video online might not seem like work, but it is and that child has to constantly produce the 'goods' in order to be paid.
And dont get me started on undisclosed ads etc and child meet and greets!

 

[Char.barker]

Until kids are protected to same as they would be if they where an actor they should mot be on public monetised social media. From what I’ve see kids can be yanked out of school purely to film vlogs or promotional content for brands. Yes the parents may be fined and if they don’t have a private tutor then that kid is loosing out just because their greedy parents want to earn themselves money. Or they can be made to put on a performance after school singing the praises of a product the parent has been paid to advertise. Then theres the whole other issue of kids who are disabled or have additional needs having all their information plastered on the internet for anyone to see. If you have a teen who has developmental delays and is more like a 6 year old how can they give consent to be online?

 

[Matafleur]

There’s a number of screenshots from the nyp article in this thread

https://twitter.com/x/status/1876006425148940387

I couldn't watch all of the video and found myself just skim reading the thread because the reality of the contents is pretty horrifying. I simply can't understand why any parent would make their child so very available online. The child influencer stuff makes me deeply uncomfortable, I barely even post pictures of my child to my locked down FB account.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

A few of the celebrities I follow on FB (who of course don't need the money) actually cover their children's faces in photos which I applaud, Nico Rosberg for example, and Tom Daley said in his autobiography how he always made sure any photos he posted of Robbie were not facing the camera until he was old enough to decide if he wanted to be published or not

 

[Fjord]

There's a cat FB group i follow where the child always has an emoji over their face. They feature in the photos but you couldn't recognise them, I think it's a good way to do it.

 

[Cobxfan55]

There's a cat FB group i follow where the child always has an emoji over their face. They feature in the photos but you couldn't recognise them, I think it's a good way to do it.

That sounds incredible safe to do if there is a child involved in the picture I have seen that happen on instagram but some I have don't do that but some older children do it but not everyone does

 

[Muddywellies]

Good point, It's not really child influencers though? It's parents pushing their kids hard via social media? At least the ones I am thinking of. I wonder how much revenue goes to the kids instead of the parents. .

They do. And then big equestrian companies take them on and they become the face of their product.

I have no time for child influencers or more importantly, their parents. Everyday eventers got real crap from certain influencers followers for voicing her opinion on the matter, their followers have a tendency to be a bit rabid when people dont idolise them like they do and disagree with children's lives being plastered over the internet, especially when they are ill and are shown in hospital being very low. I refuse to give them any air time and watch their content, but all the time people do, brands will pay them, more people will watch them and the cycle continues. Brands are equally to blame and need to have a good look at their ethics around child influencers and realise the more they gift etc the harder that child has to work. Putting a video online might not seem like work, but it is and that child has to constantly produce the 'goods' in order to be paid.
And dont get me started on undisclosed ads etc and child meet and greets!

These meet and greets baffle me. What on earth do they have to say ???

 

[Bobthecob15]

They do. And then big equestrian companies take them on and they become the face of their product.

These meet and greets baffle me. What on earth do they have to say ???

Not a lot! Mine has done several at various horse events, most of the kids just smile for a photo while the parent stands out of the way watching. Harlow has absolutely nothing to say!

 

[mariew]

Not a lot! Mine has done several at various horse events, most of the kids just smile for a photo while the parent stands out of the way watching. Harlow has absolutely nothing to say!

Do they even want to do it or just made to do it? This tbh should be banned at least for kids under a certain age.

 

[vam]

Do they even want to do it or just made to do it? This tbh should be banned at least for kids under a certain age.

its very much for the fans to meet and get a pic of someone they consider famous. i dont get it but then i dont get the screaming fan thing over singers/actors.
I think these kids believe they want to do it. They want to meet people or fans, their life is played out in front of everyone and i wonder if they tie their self worth with how many likes they get so have to keep pushing content out and that included meet and greets.
i think it was Harlow that looked very overwhelmed at one, not that she would be allowed to appear anything less than happy. i still put it firmly in the parents lap for monetising them and putting the pressure on them in the first place.

 

[mariew]

I think society should actively adopt using different terms than child influencers as it sounds like something a child has chosen to do themselves. Some label like parent pushed sm account, or parents extra income account.

A 5 or 8 year old (for example ) would only be worried about likes and followers if their responsible carer/parent enables it and makes them aware.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I think society should actively adopt using different terms than child influencers as it sounds like something a child has chosen to do themselves. Some label like parent pushed sm account, or parents extra income account.

A 5 or 8 year old (for example ) would only be worried about likes and followers if their responsible carer/parent enables it and makes them aware.

Indeed one such account made a post about this and put all the blame on the SM platforms and the people making comments, stitching videos. No concept of their own responsibility in a) farming their own child out on the internet as their latest business venture and b) allowing their child to have unsupervised access to the internet to view these things.

Granted I do think it's a bit w**ky to comment on the quality of a child's horse riding skills online, but still, those parents are deciding to showcase every high and low of the 'journey' and to leave their child open for all sorts of comments. And that's before you get onto the dangers of online predators.

 

[JFTDWS]

.
i think it was Harlow that looked very overwhelmed at one,

If you're referring to a relatively recent incident, I believe that was a much younger child. And that only makes it worse.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

It seems to be a mark of success for ‘influencers’ to have meet and greet sessions and a range of ‘merch’ so presumably the children see the older influencers do then and think that’s what they should be doing too. I have never understood obsessive fandom so don’t really get why other children would want to queue up just to have a photo taken with a complete stranger. As well as the parents allowing this to happen, the real villains are the brands who are jumping onto the monetised-childhood gravy train in order to turn a profit from influenced children.

 

[NinjaPony]

Under 16s should be banned from having public social media accounts or a public social media presence, including monetised content. It’s absurd how many z-list ‘celebrities’ share every detail of their child’s private life on their own public Instagram to make a quick buck. By all means share your own life if you want to, but keep your non consenting child out of it. The lack of regulation and exploitation is astonishing and I really think the only way to stop it is to shut the whole racket down as a viable option to make money from your children.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I've not been very well so haven't done much since the OP but there's a few things here I'd like to follow up on.

There's obviously that wider context of 'family vlogging' (big, big ick); but the way this type of "influencing" (parent-managed exploitation?) is showing up in the UK equestrian world is worth focus too. It's in the products we buy (the list of brands is long!), the retailers we buy from, and the events we attend.

I think society should actively adopt using different terms than child influencers as it sounds like something a child has chosen to do themselves. Some label like parent pushed sm account, or parents extra income account.

A 5 or 8 year old (for example ) would only be worried about likes and followers if their responsible carer/parent enables it and makes them aware.

In some (maybe most?) cases I wonder if it's actually 'parents main income account'.

 

[NinjaPony]

It would be helpful to know which horse brands are using parent income accounts to sell their products, and which accounts they use. It’s all publicly available, it would just be handy to know who we need to pressure/contact/boycott!

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

It would be helpful to know which horse brands are using parent income accounts to sell their products, and which accounts they use. It’s all publicly available, it would just be handy to know who we need to pressure/contact/boycott!

I think there's some differences in types of relationships between brands and accounts - hopefully someone on here will know about how it works. I'm thinking about how it can include being gifted things, doing advertisements, giveaways, 'brand ambassadors', affiliate links, sponsorship, product collaborations, selling their own merch, advertising their parents' business

Some I think are just tagging every brand they're using in the hopes of gaining one of the above.

Maybe I can try to pull together a rough list.

On one of them I think there is content the ASA might be interested in, so that's on my list of things to do.

 

[YourValentine]

Most companies these days have a "modern slavery policy" which often includes clauses about child exploration. I wonder if we could point out how they are failing to adhere to this by using children as a means of marketing?

 

[Jenko109]

I dont know how it happens tbh.

Some of them, well one I am thinking of in particular. Her riding is sweet enough? But that is it.

There are plenty of kids riding just as well. Some better. That arent on a pedastool.

 

[scats]

I watched a recent Harlow vlog last night out of curiosity. Has Harlows money paid for that house/stables? She must be making an incredible amount if that’s the case, but then she has the pressure to keep that money coming in.

 

[marmalade76]

A lot of it is just showing off, 'look what I've got', same goes for Tara and even Megan Markle.

 

[IrishMilo]

I watched a recent Harlow vlog last night out of curiosity. Has Harlows money paid for that house/stables? She must be making an incredible amount if that’s the case, but then she has the pressure to keep that money coming in.

Harlow's mum is (what looks to be) a very successful photographer for big brands/luxury weddings. I think she was also a glamour model at some point. So I suspect it's a combo of Harlow's earnings + her income too.

I didn't realise how young Harlow's mum is (34) - when you see them both on camera it's like they are the same person! I find it really odd how there seems to be no actual parental structure to Harlow's life, Chelsea - if anything - seems to be the driving force behind all the exciting new ponies, LeMieux matchy matchy, going on long trips/missing school etc.

They recently did a video to explain why Harlow 'needed' another pony (and hey, don't we all ) but the reasoning was bizarre - they have a pony with a producer that apparently must at all costs stay there for the entirety of 2025. I shudder to think how much that costs!

 

[PurpleSpots]

Harlow's mum is (what looks to be) a very successful photographer for big brands/luxury weddings. I think she was also a glamour model at some point. So I suspect it's a combo of Harlow's earnings + her income too.

I didn't realise how young Harlow's mum is (34) - when you see them both on camera it's like they are the same person! I find it really odd how there seems to be no actual parental structure to Harlow's life, Chelsea - if anything - seems to be the driving force behind all the exciting new ponies, LeMieux matchy matchy, going on long trips/missing school etc.

They recently did a video to explain why Harlow 'needed' another pony (and hey, don't we all ) but the reasoning was bizarre - they have a pony with a producer that apparently must at all costs stay there for the entirety of 2025. I shudder to think how much that costs!

Perhaps they are looking to sell the 'produced' pony at the end of the year after qualifying for xyz and adding money to him, so to speak? Hence it's worth the 'investment'?

 

[cauda equina]

Perhaps Harlow doesn't get on with the produced pony and it's a face-saving exercise

 

[scats]

Harlow's mum is (what looks to be) a very successful photographer for big brands/luxury weddings. I think she was also a glamour model at some point. So I suspect it's a combo of Harlow's earnings + her income too.

I didn't realise how young Harlow's mum is (34) - when you see them both on camera it's like they are the same person! I find it really odd how there seems to be no actual parental structure to Harlow's life, Chelsea - if anything - seems to be the driving force behind all the exciting new ponies, LeMieux matchy matchy, going on long trips/missing school etc.

They recently did a video to explain why Harlow 'needed' another pony (and hey, don't we all ) but the reasoning was bizarre - they have a pony with a producer that apparently must at all costs stay there for the entirety of 2025. I shudder to think how much that costs!

Still, even with the shared income, I’d imagine there’s a fair bit of pressure to keep the whole show running to keep that level of money coming in though I suppose that they could strip things back if need be- ie bring pony back from producer, sell a couple of the surplus ones - if Harlow turned around one day and said she’d had enough or she wanted time to be a normal teenager.

 

[Char.barker]

Harlow's mum is (what looks to be) a very successful photographer for big brands/luxury weddings. I think she was also a glamour model at some point. So I suspect it's a combo of Harlow's earnings + her income too.

I didn't realise how young Harlow's mum is (34) - when you see them both on camera it's like they are the same person! I find it really odd how there seems to be no actual parental structure to Harlow's life, Chelsea - if anything - seems to be the driving force behind all the exciting new ponies, LeMieux matchy matchy, going on long trips/missing school etc.

They recently did a video to explain why Harlow 'needed' another pony (and hey, don't we all ) but the reasoning was bizarre - they have a pony with a producer that apparently must at all costs stay there for the entirety of 2025. I shudder to think how much that costs!

You can see how much she earns on companies house. I’m sure I’ve seen it said it was £50k

 

[Bobthecob15]

I’ve heard rumours that Harlow and the brothers dad is a well known football player, so the kids have always had a nice lifestyle etc… prior to them making a name for themselves on you tube. But yes, they make a mint from their vlogging which now seems to include the brother too

 

[Bobthecob15]

Harlow's mum is (what looks to be) a very successful photographer for big brands/luxury weddings. I think she was also a glamour model at some point. So I suspect it's a combo of Harlow's earnings + her income too.

I didn't realise how young Harlow's mum is (34) - when you see them both on camera it's like they are the same person! I find it really odd how there seems to be no actual parental structure to Harlow's life, Chelsea - if anything - seems to be the driving force behind all the exciting new ponies, LeMieux matchy matchy, going on long trips/missing school etc.

They recently did a video to explain why Harlow 'needed' another pony (and hey, don't we all ) but the reasoning was bizarre - they have a pony with a producer that apparently must at all costs stay there for the entirety of 2025. I shudder to think how much that costs!

They’ve had various horses at the producer before, rolo was there a couple of years ago and I think the grey one? I’ve sort of lost track as my daughter has rightly gone off them! She thinks it’s ridiculous how she acts and has 4 ponies