Boots On The Ground, Questions In The Air: Are We Doing Right By Ms. Shirley And Our Viral Kids? [Op-Ed] - Page 2
The Rise of Viral Kids & The Things We’re Learning
In recent years, a growing number of children have become influencers before they can spell the word. Surveys show that 1 in 3 preteens now aspire to be influencers as a career path, and thousands are already on that journey. While there’s no official registry of child influencers, researchers estimate that tens of thousands of U.S. children are actively creating content for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, with the trend growing every year.
On YouTube, child-led channels like Kids Diana Show and Like Nastya have surpassed 100 million subscribers, while Ryan Kaji of Ryan’s World remains a household name in kidfluencing, earning tens of millions annually (Business Insider). On Instagram, parent-run accounts for young children have drawn massive audiences, with one New York Times investigation identifying more than 5,000 such profiles centered around child content. TikTok, meanwhile, has ushered in a wave of teenage creators, many 13 to 17, who have built personal brands and millions of followers in record time.
According to a 2023 peer-reviewed study, young influencers face unique risks, including anxiety, blurred identity development, and an overreliance on external validation. The study notes that, “children are increasingly navigating a commercialized childhood where self-worth is tied to performance and feedback.”
Meanwhile, researchers at Boston Children’s Digital Wellness Lab have documented how images from family content are routinely scraped and shared in inappropriate forums. In one analysis, over 50% of images on certain predator forums were pulled directly from public family content.
The 2025 documentary Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing on Netflix, which follows the life and legal battles of Piper Rockelle, pulls back the curtain on what really goes on in the world of kid influencers. The most chilling revelation? Many of the people saving and engaging with child content aren’t who you think. Anonymous adults. Men. Some of them are outright predators.
This knowledge is part of why the online village raises an eyebrow when a preschooler is trending. Not because we don’t want to see Black children shine, but because we want them to be protected while they do.
The Pay Gap Between Parents And Their Viral Kids
Unlike traditional child actors who benefit from laws like the Coogan Act, many viral children have no legal right to their own income. Illinois’s new child influencer law, which went into effect on July 1, 2024, requires vloggers who feature children in their content to set aside a portion of the compensation in a trust for the minor. Minnesota followed suit with a similar law taking effect July 1, 2025, adding new protections that prohibit kids under 14 from participating in content creation and requiring adults to delete any content featuring a child if that child later asks for its removal. Eight other states have similar bills under consideration, and more are expected to follow.
In his TikTok breakdown, actor and content creator Anwar Ali (@theanwarali) made this distinction clear:
“Even the most unprotected child actor still has an account where some of their income goes directly into it. It’s called a Coogan account…but these kids on the internet? That money goes straight to their parents’ PayPal,” he shared. “There is some child out there who is doing social media right now who has never seen a single cent of their money…They think they’re just doing a fun little project with their parents.”
