Stating that children have become not only content consumers but also content producers on social media platforms, Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay said, “Being watched on social media platforms also brings an economic return. Today, we know that very popular child social media celebrities earn high sums of money both in Turkey and worldwide.”
Noting that using social media is a right for children, but platforms, parents, and the state must take precautions to prevent them from becoming victims while exercising this right, Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay said, “There is a need for mechanisms that support, educate, and guide children towards appropriate content and beneficial usage practices.”
Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay, Head of the Department of New Media and Communication at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication, evaluated the phenomenon of 'child social media influencers,' which has been increasing in numbers in recent years, from the perspective of communication science and children's rights.
Children both consume and produce content
Stating that social media platforms are very widespread and popular, Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay said, “These are structures that serve to be visible and attract attention. Therefore, children also use social media channels intensively. They both consume and produce content. Some child content creators can reach high viewership rates and a large subscriber base on these platforms. Being watched on social media platforms also brings an economic return. Today, we know that very popular child social media celebrities earn high sums of money both in Turkey and worldwide. For these reasons, many other children emulate this and step into these activities. Besides economic gain, there can also be returns such as being recognized, popular, and attracting attention.”
Economic exploitation of children is also at stake
Noting that families encouraging their children to create content on social media for income purposes turns these children into child laborers, Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay stated, “Moreover, this leads to a very uncontrolled, unsupervised work arrangement that violates children's rights. Repeated shootings for videos to be published, the exposure of a child's private home life, and the transformation of a basic child's right like freely playing into a show or performance pose many disadvantages for the child. Furthermore, the income earned here is used by the family, and the lack of a law regulating how much of it is allocated to the child also brings about the economic exploitation of the child.”
Child rights violation exists!
Atalay also explained that influencer children with many followers on social media become a commodity through their cuteness, the dramatization of details from their daily lives, the games they play, and even emotions such as joy, sadness, anger, and surprise experienced in front of the camera. She added, “While childhood should be a period with few responsibilities, where a child learns about themselves and develops through free play, children drawn into income-generating activities on social media cannot live their childhoods. There is a very serious but unnoticed violation of rights here.”
Some sue their parents after turning 18!
Stating that every activity performed while producing content in the digital world is added to users' digital footprints, Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay said, “When it comes to children, they often unconsciously create their digital footprints or these are created by their parents without the child's consent. Children may be bothered or embarrassed by these digital footprints in the future. In this case, they will have to struggle to have them deleted. We know there are young people who have sued their parents after turning 18.”
There is no law yet in Turkey for child influencers
Reminding that France introduced a new regulation in 2020 to protect child influencers against child labor, Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay concluded her words as follows:
“According to this law, if children under 16 years of age are featured in commercial content prepared for video sharing platforms, and the duration or income of these videos exceeds certain limits, families and relevant companies are obliged to obtain permission from official authorities. Those who do not comply with the rules may face fines or imprisonment for up to five years.
Furthermore, the working hours of children under 16 are limited, and their earned income is deposited into a special account that they can access when they turn 16. Similar laws and draft laws are on the agenda in various states in the United States. There is no similar law yet in Turkey. Using social media is undoubtedly a right for children, but platforms, parents, and the state must take precautions to prevent them from becoming victims while exercising this right. There is a need for mechanisms that support, educate, and guide children towards appropriate content and beneficial usage practices.”