Like, follow, subscribe : influencer kids and the cost of a childhood online / Fortesa Latifi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Latifi, Fortesa, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Child labor.

Fame--Social aspects.

Fame.

Internet and children.

Internet personalities.

Parental influences.

Social media.

Vloggers.

Bloggers.

Child rearing.

Parenting.

social media.

Genre:

Informational works.

Physical Description:

xii, 274 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Gallery Books hardcover edition.

Other Title:

Influencer kids and the cost of a childhood online

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Gallery Books, 2026.

Summary:

"A searing investigation into the child influencer industry and the perils of childhood internet fame, Like, Follow, Subscribe is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the costs of internet fame, and the ethics of online content. What is it like to grow up with a camera in your face 24/7? To have your childhood moments sold as 'content' to millions online? What happens when someone who works in a largely unregulated multi-billion-dollar industry sells away their childhood and has no financial safety net as an adult? What does it feel like to have your private moments--your medical diagnoses, your first period, your first break up, your tantrums, potty-training, and breastfeeding-weaning--broadcast to an audience of millions? Like, Follow, Subscribe shines a spotlight on the deeply troubling world of the child influencer industry. Journalist Fortesa Latifi dives into the lives of children whose parents mine their everyday activities for monetizable content, exposing issues like privacy violations, financial abuse, and the absence of child labor protections. Through expert interviews with psychologists, labor scientists, and even former child influencers and family vloggers, she uncovers the pressures, trauma, and consequences for children thrust into the spotlight. This timely and eye-opening book doesn't just reveal the harm of toxic social media culture: it also provides a roadmap to better regulating influencer families, safeguarding children, and questioning the role of audiences in perpetuating these cycles of exploitation"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Dear diary, meet the algorithm : how mommy bloggers paved the way

A filtered life : fame, family, and clickbait

Privacy for sale : monetizing everyday intimacies

When the cameras don't stop : meltdowns, mistakes, and crossing moral lines

Filters, feeds, and first steps : the TikTok teen mom hustle

Curated childhoods : the parents behind the posts

Bless this brand : Mormon influencers, trad wives, and the invisible labor of motherhood

From content to consent: the parents who changed their minds

Imaginary friends : model mothers and the cure for loneliness

From love to hate : former fans, parasocial relationships, and the rise of snark communities

Baby's first sponsorship : the economics of influence

The wrong kind of attention : online predators and invisible threats

Lights, camera, legislation: regulating family vlogging

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-265) and index.

ISBN:

9781668080504

1668080508

OCLC:

1523197049

Publisher Number:

CIPO000356852