Instagram does not allow children under 13 to have accounts, but parents are allowed to run them — and many do so for daughters who aspire to be social media influencers. What often starts as a parent’s effort to jump-start a child’s modeling career, or win favors from clothing brands, can quickly descend into a dark underworld dominated by adult men, many of whom openly admit on other platforms to being sexually attracted to children, an investigation by The New York Times found.
Thousands of so-called “mom-run” accounts highlight growing concerns over how social media is reshaping childhood, particularly for girls, with some parents actively promoting influencer careers. Nearly one in three preteens now list influencing as an ambition, while 11pc of Gen Z identify as influencers. Experts warn that social media poses a “profound risk of harm” for girls, with constant comparisons and face-altering filters damaging self-worth and encouraging body objectification, while the pursuit of online fame is increasingly commodifying children’s images. The pursuit of online fame, particularly through Instagram, has supercharged the often toxic phenomenon, The New York Times found, encouraging parents to commodify their daughter’s images.
These are some key findings. Parents are the driving force behind the accounts. Some offer the sale of photos, exclusive chat sessions and even the girls’ worn leotards to mostly unknown male followers. The child influencers can earn six-figure incomes from monthly subscriptions and other interactions with followers, according to interviews. Some can demand $3,000 from companies for a single post.
Big followings look impressive to brands and bolster chances of getting discounts, products and other financial incentives, and the accounts themselves are rewarded by Instagram’s algorithm with greater visibility on the platform. As the accounts gain followers, they also draw a higher proportion of males. Interacting with the men opens the door to abuse. One calculation performed by an audience demographics firm found 32 million connections to male followers among the 5,000 accounts examined by The Times.
An analysis using Google and Microsoft image classification tools suggests that suggestive posts receive more likes and comments, while some male followers reportedly flatter, bully and blackmail girls and their parents into sharing more explicit content, with some individuals later convicted of sex crimes. The New York Times also found Telegram exchanges where users openly fantasised about abusing children they followed on Instagram, while account owners reporting such activity said Instagram often failed to respond.
Meta has acknowledged that around 500,000 child Instagram accounts experienced “inappropriate” interactions daily in a 2020 internal study, though it says users and parents can control interactions and remove unwanted accounts. A Meta spokesperson said parents manage such accounts and can restrict comments or messaging.
While some families have defended continued use of the platform, others report lasting harm, including a mother in Australia who said her daughter was scarred by early exposure online. She warned mothers to avoid her mistakes.
Though rare, there have been criminal prosecutions against parents accused in child sexual abuse cases. Even the most unsettling images of sexualized child influencers tend to fall into a legal gray area. To meet the federal definition of so-called child pornography, the law generally requires a “lascivious exhibition” of the anal or genital area, though courts have found the requirement can be met without nudity or sheer clothing.
