Social media is no longer just a game zone, but a source of income!

Prof. Gül Esra Atalay emphasized that children are now not only content consumers but also content creators on social media platforms, stating, “There is an economic return for being visible on social media platforms. Today, we know that highly popular child social media celebrities, both in Türkiye and around the world, earn substantial amounts of money.”

Prof. Gül Esra Atalay pointed out that while using social media is a right for children, measures must be taken by platforms, parents, and the state to ensure that children are not harmed while exercising this right. She stated, “There is a need for mechanisms that support children, raise their awareness, and guide them towards appropriate content and beneficial usage practices.”

Head of the New Media and Communication Department at Üsküdar University’s Faculty of Communication, Prof. Gül Esra Atalay evaluated the phenomenon of “child social media influencers,” which has been increasing in recent years, from the perspective of communication science and children’s rights.

Children are both consumers and producers of content

Expressing that social media platforms are highly widespread and popular, Prof. Gül Esra Atalay stated that “These are structures that serve the purpose of being visible and attracting attention. Therefore, children also use social media extensively. They not only consume content but also produce it. Some child content creators on these platforms achieve high viewership and large subscriber bases. There is also an economic return for being visible on social media platforms. Today, we know that very popular child social media celebrities in both Türkiye and the world earn significant amounts of money. For these reasons, many other children are also inspired by them and step into these activities. Besides economic gain, they may also achieve recognition, popularity, and attention.”

Risk of economic exploitation of children

Prof. Gül Esra Atalay highlighted that families encouraging their children to create content for income on social media effectively turn these children into child laborers. “This leads to a highly uncontrolled and unregulated work environment that violates the rights of the child. Repeated shootings for videos to be published, the exposure of the child’s private home life, and the transformation of the basic child’s right to free play into a show or performance pose significant risks for children. Moreover, the income earned here is used by the family, and there is no law regulating how much of it should be allocated to the child, leading to the child’s economic exploitation.”

Violation of children’s rights!

Prof. Gül Esra Atalay explained that children who are influencers with highly followed accounts on social media are transformed into commodities through their cuteness, the display of details of their daily lives, the games they play, and even the emotions they experience in front of the camera, such as joy, sadness, anger, and surprise. Atalay stated that “Childhood should be a period with few responsibilities, where children play freely and develop self-awareness through these games. However, children who are drawn into income-generating activities on social media cannot experience their childhood. There is a very serious but often unnoticed violation of rights here.”

Some sue their parents after turning 18!

Prof. Gül Esra Atalay emphasized that every activity carried out while creating content in the digital world is added to users’ digital footprints. Atalay stated that “When it comes to children, they often create their digital footprints unconsciously, or these footprints are created by their parents without the child’s consent. In the future, children may feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by these digital footprints. In such cases, they will have to fight to get them erased. We are aware of cases where young people have sued their parents after turning 18.”

No law for child influencers in Türkiye yet

Prof. Gül Esra Atalay also mentioned that France introduced a new regulation in 2020 to protect child influencers from child labor.

 

“According to this law, if children under the age of 16 appear in commercial content prepared for video-sharing platforms and the duration or revenue of these videos exceeds certain limits, it is mandatory for families and relevant companies to obtain permission from official authorities. Those who do not comply with the rules may face fines or up to five years in prison.

 

“In addition, working hours for children under 16 are limited, and their earnings are deposited into a special account that they can access when they turn 16. In the United States, similar laws and legislative proposals are on the agenda in various states. “There is no similar law in Türkiye yet. Of course, using social media is a right for children, but measures must be taken by platforms, parents, and the state to ensure that they are not harmed while exercising this right. Mechanisms that support, educate, and guide children towards appropriate content and beneficial usage practices are needed.”

 

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)