When I was a kid, I had lots of fun watching DIY videos, slime videos, game videos, and in general watching child YouTube stars who make videos online. It was great at the time.    

However, as I grew older, I realized that children post on social media for money, and their parents put them in these positions and allow them to do this. This is dangerous, not only for their security, but also for their well-being and mental health, especially once they grow older. 

I noticed this when I would look online and watch videos on YouTube about kids being exploited, and I was interested in knowing more. Many YouTube channels would talk about the exploitation of child Influencers and dangers of being put on the internet as a child, and I would listen to what they said. I felt that something needed to be done to stop it. More laws need to be put in place to provide safer protection for these kids. 

The so-called “child influencer” is becoming more and more common today, with many kids posting on social media. I feel that there needs to be justice for these children. This needs to stop, and child influencers must be banned from social media for their own sake. You should not put your child on the internet for the world to see.

When we see kids posting on social media, we might see fun, trendy, child-like posts or videos — them just being a kid. You gain skills in many things like business, entrepreneurship, and expressing yourself and your personality, which can be good for learning as a child. 

What we do not see is that, as child influencers, children suffer from many issues. For example, being in the center of spotlight, being sexualized and objectified as a girl, exploited, having no consent in being posted online, and faced with many other challenges. I feel that there is hope for more to be done with this to protect the children posting online.

I believe that the child influencers who grow into adulthood will realize what their parents put them through, and bring awareness to the issue. For right now, I care for these children who are using social media, and I want the best for them in their future. I hope something can be done to stop the exploitation of child influencers one day.