Cute Content or Child Labour? | The Kidfluencer Economy

Is "Kidfluencing" the new child labour? Last week we explored the UK’s social media ban and whether kids should really consume social media at current rates. This week we dive into the multi-million dollar world of family vlogging and explore a different question: Should kids really be producing cute content on the very platforms they are now banned from? And what does it mean that some kids are now the primary source of income for their families? We love kid content. Like The Kabs Family and their funny roasts. But when a funny family video becomes a channel, a brand and then a media empire, is the child still just being a child? Or are they now an employee? In this episode, we follow the journey from cute family vlogs to the darker world of Bad Influence and the fall of Ruby Franke and the Eight Passengers vlog. And Aiwan takes the argument a step up: Are we witnessing a technological version of Victorian child labour? If factories have become family homes and industrial machinery has been replaced by the attention economy, who is safeguarding the children? 🎙️In this episode: From Cute to Cruel: Analysing the cases of Piper Rockelle and Ruby Franke as the extreme ends of an unregulated system. The Family Media Empire: When does a hobby become a boom in business? And what rights to children have when it comes to family vlogs? Consent vs. Compliance: Can a child really say "no" to their parent-manager? Using the contrast between Piper Rockelle and the Fury family (At Home with the Furies), we question whether a child groomed for the spotlight from birth can ever truly make an "informed choice" as an adult. The Grey Area of Employment Law: If a family channel is a registered business earning millions, are the children legally employees? We discuss the lack of labour protections for kids in the digital space compared to the highly regulated world of child actors. The Victorian Parallel: A historical look at how the 19th century factory floor has moved into the family home and the attention economy. Documentary Ethics: Where is the line between telling a human story and monetising it? 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8SftUZvJtN4 🔁 Share this episode with someone thinking about childhood, parenting or the creator economy ☕ Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rigourandflow Please rate, review and subscribe for weekly episodes. Connect with us on: TikTok Instagram LinkedIn AiAi Studios Roots & Rigour This is an AiAi Studios Production ©AiAi Studios 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.