Meet the teenager helping to protect the next generation of kids on YouTube
17-year-old Chris McCarty is already making a difference in the world of online video. McCarty spent months learning about child influencers as a part of their Girl Scouts Gold Award. These child influencers feature in YouTube vlogs, which are often produced by their parents and generate a living off of these videos. For child actors, they are playing a part and have legal protection. However, for child YouTubers, there are no such laws. This is where McCarty comes in.
Who are “Kidfluencers?”
Child influencers, also known as are children who feature in online content such as family vlogs, which have huge audiences and followers. They make money not only from views but from posting sponsored material and ads - which is targeted at others their age. Given that most social media platforms require users to be over 13 these accounts are mostly managed by parents or guardians to sustain their online presence.
'Kidfluencers' with over one million followers are able to earn $10,000 or more per sponsored post according to CBS in 2019, and as access to the Internet grow the amount of child influencers and family channels is expected to also grow. Simply because of their influence on their audience and how significant this Gen Z audience is in influencing purchasing decisions, kidfluencers are a powerful component of social media marketing.
Popular 'kidfluencers' today include:
Ryan Kaji (Ryan's World) - 32.5M Subscribers on Youtube
Kairo Forbes - 1M Followers on Instagram
Everleigh Rose - 4.9M Followers on Instagram
EthanGamer - 3.02M Subscribers on Youtube
SACCONEJOLYs - 1.72M Subscribers on Youtube
How McCarthy, alongside lawmaker Emily Wicks, is making a difference
McCarty reached out to local legislators in their home state of Washington after they were astonished by the lack of legislation for children working on social media. They first found out about the lack of laws protecting 'kidfluencers' when researching for their Girl Scouts Gold Award.
One of their emails was read by Washington State Representative Emily Wicks, who is on the Children, Youth & Families Committee. After hearing more about McCarthy's findings, Wicks was persuaded by McCarthy to work together on a new bill. When speaking to TechCrunch McCarthy had this to say about working with the teen on protecting child influencers:
“I randomly got an email from Chris, and they said, ‘Here’s the problem, and here’s the potential solution’… I really wanted to provide the opportunity to help them understand exactly how the legislative process works, no matter how far we were able to get with the bill.”
The bill, which is still in the early stages, would allow revenue from videos in which the kid appears for more than 30% of the time to be placed into a savings account that can be accessed on the child's 18th birthday. It is simple: someone who was a YouTube success under the age of 18 will be able to claim their earnings. The law also goes beyond just earnings and once the young influencer has turned 18, videos and material featuring them can be deleted from the original platform if requested.
The UK is following suit
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee are asking for legislation to be passed in order to protect children online. The committee has called on the government to strengthen employment and advertising laws to protect children, both as viewers and influencers.
Children, parents, and schools must be given greater support in developing media literacy, according to the MPs. Rules concerning children's advertising, particularly pay and standards, must also be toughened. MPs have also proposed giving advertising regulators more authority to enforce the law and closing influencer gaps.
The most alarming aspect of the latest study is the allegations that children are being exploited as influencers. These “kidfluencers”, who earn income through sponsorship and partnership with brands, with many of these accounts being managed by parents (including family channels). These sponsorships, partnerships and paid advertisements are often aimed at other children.
The committee was warned that some of these child influencers are being used by parents to profit in the lucrative child and family influencing industry, according to the report. The government should address gaps in UK child labour and performance laws that leave influencers vulnerable, according to the report. Working hours and conditions, as well as safeguarding earnings, should be regulated.
As the world of online video continues to grow, it is important that the rights of child influencers are protected. While this may not be a perfect solution, it is a start. And it is thanks to the hard work of teenagers like Chris McCarty and lawmakers like Emily Wicks that progress is being made. Their work is just beginning, please take a minute to share this article and educate more people on the lack of protection for child influencers online.