New Face of Child Labor: Kidfluence

Abstract

This research examines the phenomenon of child influencers, that is, “kidfluencers”, which have entered our lives with the increase in social media use, in the context of child labor. In a world where people earn money as their content is clicked, kidfluencer children, whose photos and emotions and efforts are exploited, have become workers of their families and sponsor companies. In this research, which was conducted to understand the way kidfluencers participate in the digital industry as child workers, the photos shared with the #kidfluence tag on the Instagram application were examined. As a result of the descriptive content analysis, three themes emerged: (i) natural moments from children’s daily routine, (ii) children who are the face of a product, and (iii) girls dressed as adults. The themes were discussed with the relevant literature regarding the violation of children’s fundamental rights such as privacy, education and play, and the risks of financial exploitation, neglect and abuse. Within the scope of the study, it was suggested that the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (ÇSGB) and the Ministry of Family and Social Services (ASHB) make regulations to prevent child labor exploitation and digital neglect and abuse in social media productions. In addition, ASHB, the Ministry of National Education (MEB), the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) need to provide training and prepare public service announcements for parents and children, aiming to raise awareness of the risks involved in social media literacy and content production.