Child influencers are becoming more common in Australia but who is looking after their rights? – ABC News

Two child influencers seven-year-old Russian girl Nastya and US-born ten-year-old Ryan Kaji have made it into YouTube's most recent top 10 earners list.

Between them, Nastya and Ryan earned over US$50 million last year.

And that's not including sponsorship and TV deals.

"There's a lot of money to be made in that [online video] space," Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University, tells ABC RN's Life Matters.

And he can understand why parents might nottry to stop their children from entering it.

"It is seductive to think, 'Oh, well, I know this person and they're making hundreds of dollars every time they make a post, surely that's something that my kid could get [into]," he says.

But when a child progresses from mucking around with videos online to a paid job even if they're not one of the few earning millions what are their rights? And what are their parents' responsibilities?

It's not just YouTube offering a means for children to monetise their videos platforms like Instagram and TikTok can too, says Professor Leaver.

Helping kids navigate that space safely takes work, he says.

He'd like to see Australia take a leaf from France's book, and introduce more protections for young creators of online content.

"France is probably at the forefront where they have a pretty clear rule now around child influencers," he says.

The country has regulated the hours an under-16-year-old can work online and enshrined the "right to be forgotten", meaning platforms must take down a child's content if requested.

The child'searnings are also put into a bank account that they can only access after they turn 16.

Professor Leaver says the UK and other jurisdictions are currently trialling or considering different laws.

"But we also have to acknowledge that Australia doesn't have much at all," he says.

The need for Australia to adopt legislation surrounding child influencers is becoming more pressing, as it's a cohort on the rise.

Jordan Michaelides, managing director of talent agency Neuralle, says while he only has three children on his books at the moment, parents approach him regularly.

"We get requests all the time," he says.

And he says he's spoken with up to 60 parents in the last year who are managing their children's budding influencing careers.

He says there's a clear point at which an online hobby ticks over into something more.

"The moment you hit 100,000 followers, and you're averaging 100,000 views per video, or per post, it starts to become a job," Mr Michaelides says.

And that's when parents often start looking for managers.

But it can be hard for them to find representation.

He says there's a reluctance among talent managers to represent child influencers in Australia, in part because of the lack of clarity around rules and regulations, and managers' responsibilities.

The legislation in Australia is "very murky", he says, including around payment and being able to ensure that pay, which is usually to a parent's bank account, will "go to the child at the end of the day".

"That's the thing that I think really needs to change [in] the industry here, hopefully, at least.

"It just makes everything very complex for your role as a manager."

In Australia there are only a handful of full-time child influencers, says Sarah Letts, head of content solutions at digital media organisation, TotallyAwesomeTV.

Ms Letts works with several of them, and says she's built close professional relationships with most of their parents, who act as the children's managers.

Content is usually shot on weekends and parents "always have their [children's] best interests at heart", she says.

"All of them talk about saving for the future and that the child will have a savings account and that they teach them to manage and plan for the future," she says.

"Some will do very well and can save towards an apartment, if they get to that point, but for many it might just be for smaller goals. Some parents may take the standard 20 per cent management fee, but oftentimes they don't as they want to help their child save as much as possible and guide them towards financial independence."

Child influencers are more common in America, Ms Letts adds, where some parents create up to six videos per week with their family.

"Some succeed, but many also fail," she says.

Ms Letts' own son attempted a career in influencingthrough his surfing vlogs. It didn't pan out, but she says he gained skills from the experience.

"Even though he's never made money through his YouTube, he's gained confidence, a belief in himself, on-camera experience and had a lot of fun," she says.

She and her husband have supported their son's online video work, appreciating him "capturing [his] childhood for us".

"All those moments documented his journey and growing up in a way that is quite unique and fun to look back over now he's 17."

For other parents considering supporting their child in being an online influencer, she recommends never pushing an agenda.

"It always must be led by the child," she says.

If they show a genuine interest, she believes parents should support them.

Mr Michaelides says it's a topic that's only going to be coming up more in Australian families.

"I think we're typically behind the US by about three years," he says.

"So at least they're talking about it overseas. It's probably just a matter of time before it becomes a prominent conversation here."

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Child influencers are becoming more common in Australia but who is looking after their rights? - ABC News