Child influencers also invade social networks
Influence marketing is a marketing strategy that allows a brand to promote its product or service using influencers. There are different types of influencers depending on the number of subscribers, but we can also distinguish these network stars by their target audience, which ranges from children to seniors. Influencers of all ages then surface, even children. A marketing strategy that pays off for brands, but also for these very young influencers who receive either remuneration or gifts in return.
These mini influencers are on the same level as the adult influencers...
While young people and adults are the most present on the web, a younger generation is also beginning to overwhelm. Children are starting to get into the dance, because today, by the age of 11, many already own a smartphone.
They also follow age-appropriate influencers, so small influencers take an important place in the world of children's fashion.
Brands quickly understood the importance of marketing influence and do not hesitate to call upon these young influencers for their visibility on Instagram. Since this worked well with their parents, why put them aside? It is obvious that these little models have no purchasing power, but they can share their desire with their parents, just like in classic advertising.
We even meet young children who are only in preschool. Most of the time, it is the parents who manage the profile and the relationship with the brands. As does the fashion and large model influencer, Lalaa Misaki. Her daughter, just 5 years old, is already a mini-influencer who collaborates with clothing brands such as La Redoute or River Island. According to Lalaa, her daughter never receives any financial reward, only gifts.
According to Instagram's terms of use, you must be at least 13 years old to register. However, people can easily change their age at the time of subscription. Social networks are careful to be vigilant and delete suspicious accounts, but this does not prevent some non-regulatory profiles from remaining active. To get around this rule, adult or parental influencers use their own accounts to post photos of their children. This widens their audience and also increases their profit.
In France, a law was adopted on 19 October 2020, for child influencers under the age of 16. From now on, they will have the same status as child artists and parents must follow these laws to avoid criminal sanctions.
A legal framework adopted for employment contracts with child influencers
The risks associated with this early celebrity are numerous. "Beyond the questions regarding the rights of the child that certain staged activities may raise, the impact that celebrity status can have on the psychological development of children, the risks of cyber-harassment, even child pornography, and the fact that these activities are not covered by labour law, unlike children in the entertainment industry," explains the National Assembly.
Indeed, fakes accounts are proliferating on these platforms, as anyone can sign up and can use pseudonyms to achieve their end.
Consequently, a legal framework is provided for French children who appear in social network publications. The contents are becoming more and more numerous where small influencers promote sponsored or unsponsored products. Then, it is the parents who receive all the remuneration, as they are the ones who undertake their profiles and negotiate with the brands. What is absurd is the fact that they can receive up to 150,000 euros a month, which gives them the means to stop working.
In relation to what has been said, all income from these partnerships and publications, whether videos or photos, must be remitted to the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations. When the child turns 18, he or she will be able to get them back. Parents will have to file a request with the prefecture for their child to become an influencer and will only be able to receive 10% of this income. These regulations are the same as for child artists.
The law also provides that the child's schooling and health conditions must be suitable for his or her activities as an influencer. Otherwise, the parents or guardian may be imprisoned for five years and fined not less than 75,000 euros.
According to current law, children can stop any activity and dissolve their account whenever they wish. Therefore, the platforms have the obligation to delete their profile and the content where they appear.
The text states that social networks have their share of responsibility for the protection of these still minor influencers. It is therefore the duty of these platforms to detect, for example, inappropriate audiovisual content. They too are liable to a fine similar to those of parents who have not followed this new law in force.
