Project

Children as influencers on social media: Development of a valorisation tool supporting parents

Code
BOF/MVF/202103/035
Duration
01 May 2021 → 30 April 2024
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Research disciplines
  • Social sciences
    • Civil law
    • Economic, commercial and financial law
    • Information law
    • Communication management
    • Digital media
Keywords
Social Media Privacy Ethical code Advertising Kidfluencer Sensitization
 
Project description

Children are increasingly present on social media. They are not only depicted on their parents’ profiles, they also often have their own profile on social media, such as TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. Some of these social media users manage to gain many followers by constantly sharing videos and photos of their family, friends and interests, so-called influencers. However, portraying young children as part of influencer activities raises many questions. Currently, there is very little support for this group of parents. This project aims to develop an interactive tool that parents can turn to for practical, legal and ethical questions regarding the representation of their children on their social media profiles, their role as an influencer, and the commercial activities associated with this. This tool not only aims to inform parents, but also aims to raise awareness about the sensitivities associated with portraying their young children on social media.