Kidfluencers' lived experiences of influencer culture: a time for regulation?

IF 16.4 1区化学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Accounts of Chemical Research Pub Date : 2024-06-18 DOI:10.1108/ijssp-03-2024-0109

Shilla Shomai, P. Unwin, Clive Sealey

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose“Kidfluencer” is a relatively new term and refers to where young people actively exert influence on lifestyle and consumer behaviour through the use of social media. This study focused on capturing the complexities of this phenomenon, and issues of concern for policymakers that subsequently occur.Design/methodology/approachThe study used semi-structured interviews to capture the retrospective experiences of ten young people as “kidfluencers” on the social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.FindingsThe findings identified several issues associated with being a kidfluencer, such as affecting individuals’ work-life balance, their education, how safe they felt online and physically, how they maintained friendships, pressure to increase their profile and their mental health well-being. Overall, the study suggests that kidfluencing has specific negative effects on kidfluencers and their childhood experiences, which should be of concern to policy makers.Research limitations/implicationsAll participants were above the age of eighteen. Therefore, their contributions reflect upon their past, rather than speaking about their recent experiences, which can lead to retrospective bias. The sample size is small, reflecting the difficulties in accessing this sensitive area for study.Practical implicationsThe study provides support for the decision taken in France to introduce legislation that protects kidfluencers, which may suggest a need for legislation in other countries.Originality/valueThe study is relevant in the context of the new law adopted by the French National Assembly in 2020 to provide a legal framework for the activities of child influencers on a range of online platforms. To date, France is the only country where such laws have been enacted. So far, there has been no specific evaluation of this law, and very little research on welfare issues experienced by kidfluencers themselves, making this study timely.

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儿童影响者对影响者文化的生活体验：是时候进行监管了？

目的 "儿童风向标 "是一个相对较新的术语，指年轻人通过使用社交媒体对生活方式和消费行为积极施加影响。本研究侧重于捕捉这一现象的复杂性，以及随后出现的政策制定者所关注的问题。本研究采用半结构式访谈，捕捉十名年轻人在社交媒体平台 Facebook、Instagram、TikTok 和 YouTube 上作为 "儿童影响者 "的回顾经历。研究结果研究结果发现了与成为 "儿童影响者 "相关的几个问题，如影响个人的工作与生活平衡、教育、他们在网上和现实生活中的安全感、他们如何维持友谊、提高个人形象的压力以及他们的心理健康。总之，研究表明，儿童影响对儿童影响者及其童年经历产生了特定的负面影响，这应引起政策制定者的关注。因此，他们的发言反映的是他们的过去，而不是最近的经历，这可能会导致回顾性偏差。本研究为法国决定立法保护儿童影响者提供了支持，这可能表明其他国家也需要立法。原创性/价值本研究与法国国民议会于 2020 年通过的新法律相关，该法律将为儿童影响者在一系列网络平台上的活动提供法律框架。迄今为止，法国是唯一颁布此类法律的国家。迄今为止，还没有对该法律进行过具体评估，对儿童影响者自身经历的福利问题的研究也很少，因此本研究非常及时。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Accounts of Chemical Research 化学-化学综合

CiteScore

31.40

自引率

1.10%

发文量

312

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： Accounts of Chemical Research presents short, concise and critical articles offering easy-to-read overviews of basic research and applications in all areas of chemistry and biochemistry. These short reviews focus on research from the author’s own laboratory and are designed to teach the reader about a research project. In addition, Accounts of Chemical Research publishes commentaries that give an informed opinion on a current research problem. Special Issues online are devoted to a single topic of unusual activity and significance. Accounts of Chemical Research replaces the traditional article abstract with an article "Conspectus." These entries synopsize the research affording the reader a closer look at the content and significance of an article. Through this provision of a more detailed description of the article contents, the Conspectus enhances the article's discoverability by search engines and the exposure for the research.