--- title: "Their Parents Were Family Influencers, Now Their Kids Hate Them" description: "Shocker: bottling your kid's childhood into social media content for the sake of monetization makes their lives miserable." date: "2023-03-14" modified: "2023-03-14" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/parents-influencers-kids-hate-them" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "digital footprint" - "influencers" - "social media" --- # Their Parents Were Family Influencers, Now Their Kids Hate Them ![Shocker: bottling your kid's childhood into social media content for the sake of monetization makes their lives miserable.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Momfluencers of the world, listen up. Bottling your kid's childhood into social media content for the sake of monetization, as a number of affected kids [recently explained to *Teen Vogue*](), will make them absolutely miserable. And when those kids grow up, they'll probably hate you. As they likely should. The pervasive trend — "sharenting," "famfluencing," call it what you want — is like Child Acting 2.0, but with even fewer [legal protections](). Worst of all, it's accessible to pretty much every parent with a camera and the will to publish every inch of their children's lives on social media. And no matter how "authentic" this content might appear, once the money starts rolling in, the reality of running this kind of business is that parents become employers, while their kids become legally unprotected, unconsenting employees, made to act out their childhoods instead of actually living them. Now, affected kids are starting to speak out about the horrors of having to live this kind of life. "That's not fair that I have to support everyone," one of these kids, who reportedly first went viral when she was a toddler and has lived a life on-camera ever since, told *Teen Vogue*, speaking under condition of anonymity. "I try not to be resentful but I kind of \[am\]." "Nothing they do now is going to take back the years of work I had to put in," she said, adding that she's considering going no-contact with them when she turns 18. And who can blame her? Being forced to financially support your family as a minor amounts to "a lot of pressure," the teen told the publication. And it's not the only dark side to this kind of content creation. Scholars are consistently finding that [social media isn't good for kids]() in the first place, and child vloggers told *Teen Vogue* that the content that their parents have published has resulted in harassment by [predators](), bullying by peers and [even teachers](), anxiety over their safety, and more. That's not to mention the fact that these kids never even signed up for this and have practically [no legal protections](). "I plead \[with\] you to be the voice of this generation of children because I know firsthand what it’s like to not have a choice in which a digital footprint you didn’t create follows you around for the rest of your life," Cam, a 24-year-old ex-content kid who doesn't go by her legal name out of concern for her safety, [told legislators]() during a hearing last month. The hearing was about a bill that would give kids the option to have their parent-published digital footprints removed from the internet entirely once they turn 18. Living like this sounds very scary, and our heart goes out to these kids. No one should have to perform their own childhood, and intimate moments should remain as just that. And if you don't believe us, believe them. "To any parents that are considering starting a family vlog or monetizing your children's lives on the public internet, here is my advice: you shouldn't do it," another affected child, who also chose not to reveal her identity, recently wrote in a letter to a TikTok satirist named Caroline, who [read the letter aloud]() to her 2.3 million followers on the platform. "Any money you get will be greatly overshadowed by years of suffering," the letter continued, "your child will never be normal… I never consented to being online." **READ MORE:** [*Influencer Parents and The Kids Who Had Their Childhood Made Into Content*]() \[*Teen Vogue*\] **More on kids and social media:** [*US Surgeon General Warns Against 13-year-old Using Social Media*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()