Teens who become Internet personalities and gain millions of fans are forcing their bewildered parents to quickly adapt to the strange new world of online fame—and the big money that often comes with it.
As social media allows children to gain all the fame possible without their parents approving of it – or even knowing about it – moms and dads are faced with obsessive fans, shady managers, loss of privacy, bullying at school, and wealth management.
We tapped Claude to expand on the family implications of the young influencers.
Many parents are initially unaware of their children's popularity until fans start picking on them in the street or big brands knock on their doors to cast their offspring as presenters.
Seeking guidance, parents may hire managers to handle the business demands...and often fall victim to unscrupulous agents who promise unattainable success.
Some parents, and especially mothers, sometimes gain quite a bit of fame of their own by owning their children's accounts.
Protecting children from hordes of fans becomes a full-time occupation.
Public appearances require comprehensive planning to prevent gatherings that will interfere with the family's plans.
Any shared location on the Internet immediately attracts many fans, even in far-flung destinations.
Entire families sacrifice normal activities to avoid harassment.
The teenagers who manage to translate the fame into handsome financial profits disrupt the family dynamics.
Eliminating the parents' financial leverage gives them an unusual and unprecedented independence.
Parents must teach financial management, and limit frivolous spending.
The retention of profits depends on the laws of the country where the family lives.
The school and social life of the children and their siblings also suffer from "obligations" and jealousy.
Often, the families feel isolated, until connecting with other parents dealing with 'viral kids'.
When they exchange Americans, they create a kind of important support groups.
Some collaborate professionally;
The kids take videos together while the parents socialize.
Together they learn the lessons that will be applied to the next wave of young stars.
Some of these parents parallel their situation to that of parents whose children mark themselves as future elite athletes: grueling schedules, physical risk, damage to childhood innocence.
But the massive audience of social media amplifies those challenges even more for parents of 'influencers'.
In the end, in both cases the parents are forced to pay a price for nurturing the children's promising and dreamy careers.
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