The Kids the Algorithm Chose

Remember when a viral video of a kid doing something funny was just an innocent, isolated moment of Internet joy? Today, those organic sparks are the fuel for a $8 billion kidfluencer advertising industry. From Ryan Kaji’s multi-million-dollar toy unboxing empire to the highly polished, curated worlds of teen creators, childhood has shifted from a phase of development into an industrialized, platform-driven global market. As the kidfluencer market swells to a valuable industry, the line between authentic family memories and commercial exploitation has entirely blurred. When parents act simultaneously as guardians, employers, and bankers, traditional labor laws completely fail. How do we protect minors when their entire developmental history is being systematically commodified by algorithms? Where should the responsibility lie—with the parents holding the camera, the platforms engineering the incentives, or the regulatory systems trailing behind? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Crystal Abidin, a Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University and Director of the Influencer Ethnography Research Lab. A world-renowned digital anthropologist and incoming Editor-in-Chief of New Media & Society, Crystal has published 5 books and over 250 articles on internet celebrity. She also serves on major advisory panels, including TikTok’s Content and Safety team, providing a vital policy voice on the front lines of digital visibility. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Ryan’s World: How a kid in Hawaii became a YouTube millionaire “Social Media Platforms Generate Billions of Dollars in Revenue from U.S. Youth: Findings from a Simulated Revenue Model” (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Study in PLOS ONE) Child Influencers: How Children Become Entangled with Social Media Fame (Dr. Crystal Abidin, Polity Press)  You’re on Your Own, Kid Influencers – The Regulatory Review TikTok and Youth Cultures (Dr. Crystal Abidin, Emerald Publishing)  “#familygoals: Family Influencers, Calibrated Amateurism, and Justifying Young Digital Labor” (Social Media + Society, Dr. Crystal Abidin) The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.