Child "Influencers" (Exploitation)

[LadyGascoyne]

One is that I'm pretty sure that anyone raising money through GFM or similar has to be completely open and transparent about the purpose of the fundraising (or they can find themselves in fraud-related trouble.) I only know this because I knew someone who used GFM to raise legal fees to fight a case and had to give full details.

Yes sorry I didn't mean to imply that they weren't going to use the money to build stables. More that it is possible that the reasons for not having the money to do it themselves or the for needing to move now might be tied into background issues that they don't want to discuss.

 

[Nancykitt]

Yes sorry I didn't mean to imply that they weren't going to use the money to build stables. More that it is possible that the reasons for not having the money to do it themselves or the for needing to move now might be tied into background issues that they don't want to discuss.

Very good point!
So perhaps it's well within their means to build stables, but there's other expensive stuff going on that is diverting those funds,
And the best solution is to say they need to raise money so that the child can have her dream yard!
Someone said that they have recently acquired a new pony - not sure if that's true, but given that they were talking about having to sell some of the ponies not so long ago, it does make me wonder just how far the wool is being pulled over people's eyes.
They are still selling subscriptions, including the £12.99 per month that allows random strangers to play online games with the child. And then there's the revenue from social media.

I know that lots of people make money just through social media engagement (clicks, not subscriptions) and I don't blame them.
I just don't like the approach of 'we're having serious problems at the moment, we're not going to say what they are, just believe us and give us some more money.'

 

[JFTDWS]

Yes sorry I didn't mean to imply that they weren't going to use the money to build stables. More that it is possible that the reasons for not having the money to do it themselves or the for needing to move now might be tied into background issues that they don't want to discuss.

But that isn't any reason for the rest of the world to finance their lifestyle choices. Almost everyone experiences difficult times in their life, but most people don't make them everyone else's problem to fund. Sure, you can "sell" your story on GFM or elsewhere, and if it's a genuinely bad, people might donate to help you out, but the price of privacy is that you don't get the sort of financial input. You can't have it both ways.

I find this sort of speculation about vague, unspecified "difficult times" really problematic.

 

[HopOnTrot]

Someone mentioned to me (unrelated conversation, we were talking about sports stallions with the cream gene) that the family being discussed are going through some kind of serious issue at the moment in the background.

I heard the same yesterday.

I also heard about another child influencer where the parent posted a glowing post about child and pony when in reality pony had bolted and child was hysterical. It’s all just smoke and mirrors.

 

[HopOnTrot]

I’ve also just finished Jeanette McCrundy’s autobiography about being a child star, which was very insightful.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Needing money in desperate times is Needing it for absolute essentials like food or to keep your home

To continue to be able to fund a luxury hobby, made even more so by having multiple ponies, transport and swanning off to competitons? Absolutely not get f'd

If you were that desperate you'd sell the transport or a pony or 2.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

For me it always comes back to that they wouldn't have the wider reach/audience/platform for the GFM in the first place without having exploited their child. I don't think I would feel much better about it even if it were for a more 'worthy' cause.

 

[Supertrooper]

I’ve also just finished Jeanette McCrundy’s autobiography about being a child star, which was very insightful.

Thank you for the reminder, I’ve been meaning to read this book so now ordered.

 

[HopOnTrot]

My 8 year old is obsessed with the Sam and Cat tv series so it reminded me to read it. Very well written.

 

[Bruce17]

I also heard about another child influencer where the parent posted a glowing post about child and pony when in reality pony had bolted and child was hysterical. It’s all just smoke and mirrors.

We had one of these 'child influencers' on our yard for a while. The amount of times the parent would be screaming and shouting at the child whilst riding, or that the child would return from a hack that had gone wrong in some way in tears, and yet somehow the pictures posted on instagram made out like everything was all flowers and rainbows. It's sad really, the child was pleasant enough, but it's all driven by the parents.

 

[mariew]

just how far the wool is being pulled over people's eyes.
They are still selling subscriptions, including the £12.99 per month that allows random strangers to play online games with the child. And then there's the revenue from social media.

That just makes me feel a bit ill. Treating your own child as a commodity to make money from

 

[rescuearacehorse]

That just makes me feel a bit ill. Treating your own child as a commodity to make money from

Incredible. What sort of a person does this? Seriously. My mind absolutely is blown by that.

 

[Burnerbee]

just in case people would like to give. it's dreadful to see a child being deprived.

Help raise £30000 to Build Ivy’s stable yard – JustGiving Crowdfunding

Iʼm raising money to Build Ivy’s stable yard. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

www.justgiving.com

Flamin nora. Seriously? I’m sure Ivy (is that the kid or the pony?) is lovely but £13k donated so far!?? There are literally thousands of charities that could use that money to benefit hundreds of people / animals

 

[timbobs]

I follow a few “mumfluincers” for ideas for days out etc. and one has just set up a subscription option for people to “get to see the real them”.

A- why would you want to share so much of your kids online.
B- who wants to sign up to these subscriptions?!

 

[ecb89]

I follow a few “mumfluincers” for ideas for days out etc. and one has just set up a subscription option for people to “get to see the real them”.

A- why would you want to share so much of your kids online.
B- who wants to sign up to these subscriptions?!

b - rhymes with sconce

 

[HopOnTrot]

b - rhymes with sconce

Misread that as scone

 

[DressageCob]

My local equestrian centre is hosting the Pony mag day out in April, and the advert screams about meeting social media star Harlow White. I can't imagine being 14 years old and being paraded around for meet and greets.

Child actors don't seem to have to do so much. It's rare that the child stars of TV or film will have to attend fan events or comicons. I know their careers are less dependent on networking, but I feel very uneasy about that amount of pressure being put on a child. Not only to have to be on best behaviour, but also to have to meet, hug, pose with, talk to strangers of any age and hundreds of them in a day.

We need better protections in place for child influencers. Especially since they are under pressure from their own parents. Harlow was splashed all over social media as a literal baby, so it was inevitable she would be put into the industry. it was just a question of whether she will be there as a rider, ballet dancer or just pretty child.

 

[mariew]

Sadly the likes of Harlow and Ivy won't know a different life as the parents have always punted them out on sm.

 

[Kirstineridesagain]

The newest little starlet, Mali, is only four and has been paraded about since she was two. She looks like she’s enjoying it and having a very confident and outgoing personality, but comes across as someone who’s constantly performing in front of the cameras and you wonder if she gets any time off. Maybe she’ll be homeschooled like Harlow so she can work practically full time as an influencer?

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

My local equestrian centre is hosting the Pony mag day out in April, and the advert screams about meeting social media star Harlow White. I can't imagine being 14 years old and being paraded around for meet and greets.

Child actors don't seem to have to do so much. It's rare that the child stars of TV or film will have to attend fan events or comicons. I know their careers are less dependent on networking, but I feel very uneasy about that amount of pressure being put on a child. Not only to have to be on best behaviour, but also to have to meet, hug, pose with, talk to strangers of any age and hundreds of them in a day.

We need better protections in place for child influencers. Especially since they are under pressure from their own parents. Harlow was splashed all over social media as a literal baby, so it was inevitable she would be put into the industry. it was just a question of whether she will be there as a rider, ballet dancer or just pretty child.

The meet and greet thing is so weird.

 

[sarcasm_queen]

My local equestrian centre is hosting the Pony mag day out in April, and the advert screams about meeting social media star Harlow White. I can't imagine being 14 years old and being paraded around for meet and greets.

Child actors don't seem to have to do so much. It's rare that the child stars of TV or film will have to attend fan events or comicons. I know their careers are less dependent on networking, but I feel very uneasy about that amount of pressure being put on a child. Not only to have to be on best behaviour, but also to have to meet, hug, pose with, talk to strangers of any age and hundreds of them in a day.

We need better protections in place for child influencers. Especially since they are under pressure from their own parents. Harlow was splashed all over social media as a literal baby, so it was inevitable she would be put into the industry. it was just a question of whether she will be there as a rider, ballet dancer or just pretty child.

Child performers (i.e not social media personalities) have very strict rules about working hours. I work in theatre, and the hoops we have to jump through for young people are never ending!
I find it very odd that there aren't similar rules for 'influencers', especially when they're doing paid professional events.