Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Child Online

Journalist Latifi’s unsettling debut scrutinizes the highly profitable world of family vloggers and momfluencers. The most successful accounts make millions of dollars a year sharing intimate moments, from pregnancy announcements to potty training. Interviewing current and former influencers and their children (some of whom love making content while others report feeling trapped), as well as nannies, psychologists, and social media marketing managers, the author surveys various facets of the industry, from the odd preponderance of Mormon influencers and the discomfiting popularity of teen mom accounts to the over-the-top viciousness of anti-momfluencer forums. Mixed in are some truly hair-raising findings: videos of sick or hurt children attract the most attention (“A vomiting child... is potential”), vlogger parents have been caught on camera coaching their children how to cry, and many parents are aware that pedophiles engage with their content. Despite the inherent shock value, Latifi makes a genuine effort to grapple with the industry’s ethics, probing not only the parents’ justifications (“Kids love being part of the content” is a frequent refrain) but also her own attraction to this type of content as an isolated new mom. Most astutely, Latifi observes how understandable it is that parents are willing to swap their family’s privacy for financial stability, given the greater lack of structural support for families in the U.S. It’s a perceptive, often stomach-churning exposé. (Apr.)