Cashing in the Kids
The rise of the family channel on Youtube is not a new phenomenon but the effects that they have might be.
Everyone enjoys watching families, from absurdist Family Guy to wholesome Outnumbered we love the feeling of seeing our own family dynamics portrayed on screen. This relatability has given rise to the family Youtube channel. A rich husband, a beautiful wife, and half a dozen adorable children running around; what’s not to like? They spend their days showing us every detail of their lives and we are allowed to watch children grow up on our computer screen.
Unfortunately, nothing is quite as it seems and there has been criticism for the effect this lack of privacy will have on the children on these channels.
Many critics have argued that the effect of vlogging could lead to a similar situation as that of the child star. The long hours of filming, the pressure to perform in front of the camera, and even the sudden fame gained can all affect the child’s ability to function in the normal world.
Sonia Livingstone, the Professor of Social Psychology at the London School of Economics writes about the effect of online privacy in regards to children. In ‘Children’s data and privacy online’ she states that a lack of privacy in a child’s life can lead to anxiety due to the stress of not knowing what is known or unknown about their personal life. On the other hand, extreme supervision by parents can create an untrusting, sneaky child which refuses to share information. This knowledge is extremely troubling when considering the ‘child influencer’ who has no privacy but also intense supervision due to their daily lives being recorded, uploaded, and shared to millions online; almost always without their consent.
Although these factors can be unforeseen by parents who simply want to share an activity that both the child and themselves enjoy, there is plenty of evidence that points to the exploitation of children in these circumstances.
Under American labour laws, child performers are protected from long work hours, underpayment, and any financial loss. However, there are no such laws in place for children online. The highly profitable nature of this type of content makes it very susceptible to child exploitation. The adults can see the lack of privacy as a small price to pay for the amount of revenue that comes as a result, meaning these children are guilt-tripped into participating as they are also gaining from the money the channel makes. No children on camera = no revenue stream. This can be seen on any family vlog channel when a comparison is drawn between the number of views an average video gets compared to any video about a pregnancy or birth of a child. The views skyrocket, and these families have noticed.
