Child "Influencers" (Exploitation)

I'd never heard of her so had a look. It seems her mother is successful in her own right and Harlow was touted as a child model when she was really small. She's friends with celebrities including Abbey Clancy, so that makes sense that her father is/was a footballer.
 
meleeka said:
I'd never heard of her so had a look. It seems her mother is successful in her own right and Harlow was touted as a child model when she was really small. She's friends with celebrities including Abbey Clancy, so that makes sense that her father is/was a footballer.mother
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Yep mother shot to fame via Loaded magazine for those of you old enough to remember 😂 definitely in the WAG era and social circle
 
Miss_Millie said:
When I see this kind of thing, it makes me grateful that I grew up in a time before social media existed. There was MSN and MySpace was in its infancy, but overall we were just able to be kids, go outside and play with our friends etc. I do wonder if at some point there will be a rebellion against the likes of Facebook and Instagram - right now there is such a blur between online personas and reality and I think this will be very damaging for the next generation.

I feel really sorry for these children, no doubt they'll need therapy when they're adults and realise that they were cash-cows for their parents. I remember being mortified on my 18th birthday when my parents played a compilation of home videos to close family at my birthday party, me in nappies and in the paddling pool, talking twaddle...imagine this but instead of your aunties and uncles watching, it's anyone in the world. Quite creepy and overwhelming, enough to give any child or teenager mental health problems imo.
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Very much agree with this and I too, grew up in the same time period.

it looks like there is an interest in protecting child influencers. Not sure how far along this is: https://www.essex.ac.uk/news/2024/0... laws, child,the account and curating content
 
nutjob said:
A child earning over £100k pa looks like quite a lot to me, no wonder the parents want to monetise them :rolleyes: . Beats doing a paper round which was the thing when I was a kid.
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My comment about it not being a ridiculous amount was in the context of funding a posh house and a luxurious lifestyle. If the dad's a footballer, that probably explains that.
 
meleeka said:
My comment about it not being a ridiculous amount was in the context of funding a posh house and a luxurious lifestyle. If the dad's a footballer, that probably explains that.
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I don’t think they even see his dad and not sure he provides for them either. I’m not sure they have even met him from what I have read.
 
I remember the woosh Cinderella video on h&h. I watched and although it was cute I immediately wondered what might happen if that Child fell off considering the speed her and the adult ( her mother?) were doing.is this child Luna White?
 
Sanversera said:
I remember the woosh Cinderella video on h&h. I watched and although it was cute I immediately wondered what might happen if that Child fell off considering the speed her and the adult ( her mother?) were doing.is this child Luna White?
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No that was Kizzy of Kizzy and Etti in the woosh Cinderella vid. I don't think Harlow does the same free range galloping about that K&E are known for
 
quinnd said:
www.nytimes.com

She Was a Child Instagram Influencer. Her Fans Were Grown Men.

“Jacky Dejo” was introduced to social media by her parents as a snowboarding prodigy. Now 18, she has seen the dark side of the internet — and turned a profit from it.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
If you can't access that article, it's an indepth feature re a skiing prodigy whose parents put her on facebook at age 6, and instagram at age 8. When she turned 18, she immediately joined only fans and playboy.com. She's an adult who is making her own decisions now but surely no mother would want that for their daughter at such a young age...
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You can read this article without the paywall here: https://archive.is/uYTqM

It made me want to vomit so I don’t recommend reading it, but it’s also an important glimpse into what can happen to these exploited children as they get older. I can only hope that some parents who are following the thread read it and reconsider what they’re currently doing to their children.
 
The mother seems very shrewd, so I'd be shocked if she isn't receiving maintenance. If the dad is who is widely to believed to be the dad, then he'll earn outside the typical child maintenance limits and she had possibly gone to court for regular payments/lump sum or he's paid a big lump sum to make it go away, but I'd be shocked if she's claimed nothing.


*And rightly so, edited in case it seems like I'm judging her for holding a father to his legal responsibility to maintain his child. I'm not. I do judge her for pimping her kids out though.
 
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I remember when Kizzy and Ettie went behind a paywall. Looked like lots of elderly women were so invested in their lives that they signed up. I actually found them amusing too. So tiny, yet riding independently and so fast. But once I saw them trying to make money with picnics etc I just thought that was a bit odd. I never considered paying to see them, but as I had similarly aged children at the time who also rode (still ride) I found it quite interesting.

As for Harlow, I think she seems like a nice girl who’s trying so hard to please her mother that she’ll put up with anything and having her whole life filmed. Don’t think my daughters would! But I guess she gets a lot of attention and freebies, and opportunities. The amount of work she does must be insane, though. How she does school as well is beyond me.

The little redhead that rides a stallion over huge fences looks like an acute safety issue to me. The parents seem intent on making her famous, regardless of the danger of jumping so high.

I like to document our horsey life too, but only with a few snippets and photos, and with hardly any followers it’s mainly just a personal photo album.
 
Kirstineridesagain said:
I remember when Kizzy and Ettie went behind a paywall. Looked like lots of elderly women were so invested in their lives that they signed up. I actually found them amusing too. So tiny, yet riding independently and so fast. But once I saw them trying to make money with picnics etc I just thought that was a bit odd. I never considered paying to see them, but as I had similarly aged children at the time who also rode (still ride) I found it quite interesting.

As for Harlow, I think she seems like a nice girl who’s trying so hard to please her mother that she’ll put up with anything and having her whole life filmed. Don’t think my daughters would! But I guess she gets a lot of attention and freebies, and opportunities. The amount of work she does must be insane, though. How she does school as well is beyond me.

The little redhead that rides a stallion over huge fences looks like an acute safety issue to me. The parents seem intent on making her famous, regardless of the danger of jumping so high.

I like to document our horsey life too, but only with a few snippets and photos, and with hardly any followers it’s mainly just a personal photo album.
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Does Harlow know any different? I’m sure her and her brother started out as child models I avoid watching her stuff as I don’t want to support a child being used for financial gain. From the little snippets I do see she seems polite and a fairly decent rider but I wad seeing loads of commments on tiktok about her being rude and ignoring people at shows. She’s a child and is no doubt concentrating on competing her ponies when at a show so give her some bloody space. I think it has Meg Elphick that said to people in the past to come up to her after she has competed and she is an adult who has been competing far longer than Harlow so maybe give a little girl some compassion.
 
I feel sorry for all the children caught up in the influencing trend. I am glad that when I was a teenager I was not under a microscope. I had grumpy days and friendly days, shy days and over the top, in your face days. I had the benefit of being a nobody so I didn't have adults scrutinising me (beyond beloved family members of course!). I know that as a teenager or younger there is no way I could sit there meeting hundreds of strangers and stay in good humour. It's a big ask.

The parents are the ones who should be criticised, not the kids.
 
Muddywellies said:
Mali Gurung keeps popping up on my insta. Gosh shes terribly terribly young. Unboxing new Le mieux parcels so I assume sponsored by them. What on earth is it all about. 🤷‍♀️😔
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She’s sponsored by pretty much everyone by now and seems to have a full time job being a horsey influencer. No doubt her mum must be doing it full time too. She must be spending all her time just selling her daughter to these companies.
 
I feel all children should be not exploited on you tube or eksewhere. Its not just the horse world. There are some mennonite housewives who actively film their kids making cakes etc on you tube. People follow watching birthday parties and such. I thunk their parrnts aee profeteering off thrm. Some of hs will remember Lena Zavaroni. Not quite the same but exploitation never the less.
 
daffy44 said:
I think one of the problems is that social media is evolving so quickly that legislation is playing catch up, and the legislation assumes that parents are trying to protect their children online, this is problematic when its the parents pimping out their children.
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This
 
I misread this thread title and thought it concerned Ivy, the go fund me for 30K so that she can have stables for her 9 show jumping ponies. That has been all over my FB for a few days. Anyone else seen it or have thoughts. To my mind it doesn't teach a child (9yo) that you can't always have everything you want also if I was the parent I would be so embarrassed to ask for charity in this way, ie total lack of pride.

I willl start a new thread if it is not appropriate on this one,
 
My daughter is 8 and already there are 2 children in her year of about 10 children that have phones and access to social media.

We actually stopped our children having access to YouTube as it turns them into arseh*les, they do watch a hefty amount of TV and have access to a tablet with games/Nintendo, but both are time limited.

I much prefer them outside although yesterday’s hosepipe fight was a bit much 🤣 I just want them to be kids not mini adults.
 
I agree we need to stop talking about specific children/accounts and address the wider principles.

UK child labour laws apply to TV, theatre and modelling. But they don't apply to Social Media. There is also a regulatory gap in the Online Safety Act as it does not cover user generated socuial media content. So chidlren fall through gaps in both sets of legislation.

That means:
  • no licensing
  • no limits on hours
  • no guarantee of earnings
  • no requirement for child consent.
  • privacy violations
  • exploitation
  • pressure to perform
  • impacts on education and family life.
  • abusive comments
  • Safeguarding risks where influencers can be accessed by the public

And probably loads more

There are already various people speaking out about it. So I'd look at what they are already saying/doing to raise the issue:
  • Chi Onwurah MP
  • Victoria Collins MP
  • DCMS Committee
Plus there is Dr Francis Rees - University of Essex and probably the most active person in this space as she leads the Child Influencer Project

Countries actively regulating the issue include France and some states in the USA.
 
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news.sky.com

Laws may need to be bolstered to crack down on exploitation of child 'influencers', senior MP suggests

Experts have raised concerns that there is a lack of legal provision for children who earn money through brand collaborations on social media, which has led to some advertising in their underwear.
news.sky.com news.sky.com


www.essex.ac.uk

Child Influencer Project | University of Essex

This research project considers the impact of digital child labour on child performers on social media sites such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. This project is lead by Dr Francis Rees, Lecturer at Essex Law School, University of Essex
www.essex.ac.uk www.essex.ac.uk
 
paddy555 said:
I misread this thread title and thought it concerned Ivy, the go fund me for 30K so that she can have stables for her 9 show jumping ponies. That has been all over my FB for a few days. Anyone else seen it or have thoughts. To my mind it doesn't teach a child (9yo) that you can't always have everything you want also if I was the parent I would be so embarrassed to ask for charity in this way, ie total lack of pride.

I willl start a new thread if it is not appropriate on this one,
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Those grifters have been discussed on another thread can't remember which atm.
 
paddy555 said:
I misread this thread title and thought it concerned Ivy, the go fund me for 30K so that she can have stables for her 9 show jumping ponies. That has been all over my FB for a few days. Anyone else seen it or have thoughts. To my mind it doesn't teach a child (9yo) that you can't always have everything you want also if I was the parent I would be so embarrassed to ask for charity in this way, ie total lack of pride.

I willl start a new thread if it is not appropriate on this one,
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Wtaf

How about selling some of the ponies if you cant afford it rather than scrounging

Absolutely ridiculous and one of the reasons I hate GFM, grifters take the utter p, that is not a genuine need 🙄🙄

None of these people live in the real world and the fact "influencers" are so highly regarded is a lot of whats wrong with this generation
 
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I decided not to get rage baited about the gfm fundraisers, and simply don't pay anything towards them. Fools and their money are easily parted, and if someone fancies giving money to some random punter on the internet then it's their choice. Luckily nothing to do with me! 😜
 
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