To think Brooklyn Beckham fallout is just a precursor for all the kids growing up as influencer/celebs on social media?

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There's soon going to be 100s of kids aging out of social media "stardom"... Where their lives have been plastered all over social media for anyone to see...

Kids either the actual focus,or on the periphery as "props" - a lot of them not seeing a penny for their work.

Give it ten years and the damage fine will be huge and hopefully there'll be some sort of protection.

I've seen examples where the woman lives in a massive beautiful house, the kids appear to be homeschooled, and she takes videos of the girls having baths (back to camera...but still 😬)
Or that little boy who dances at a middling level but the mother has taken him out of school and parades him around (Brody?) or the boy that reviewed toys (Ryan's world) ... All sorts of kids being made to work at the cost of their privacy.

It's just all a disaster in the making.

Absolutely. This is just the start.

I fully agree. It's nothing new really - parents were shoving their kids onto music hall stages, into film and TV studios and using them as an income stream long before social media.

The sad thing is we all know the most common trajectory of the child star, and it isn't good.

Totally agree. I guess the only consolation is that there are so many of them, at least they will be able to offload among people who understand.

case in point Kerry Katona who was in this weekends Times Magazine harping on about how Only Fans has paid for her children’s public schooling. How cringe is that. How those kids have been able to show their faces in school this week I don’t know.

One of the worst for me are the family vloggers- The Sacconejoly's if anyone knows of them? Some of the things the parents have said regarding their kids over the years is terrifying. As you've said, one day the kids of these types of parents will hopefully follow Brooklyn's lead and be able to speak out about this bizarre upbringing. It's such new territory, we have no idea how this would affect kids long term.

@GreeneryGrass yes I saw a Stacey Dooley documentary about them and was 😦. Dad especially was hugely sinister and the way the broadcast really personal things about their kids, only to remind their kids that it pays for their luxury life, was just appalling. Those poor kids.

Absolutely, the dad is the hardest one to understand for me. The SD documentary was so eye opening - I don't know if you've seen since, but in the documentary he literally mentioned something about not showing the children in thumbnails doing exposing things like gymnastics - please type in their channel on YouTube and scroll. Look at the thumbnails, particularly up to 6/7 months ago, he's now literally photoshopping his underage children onto adult bodies, some in gymnastic outfits and poses wearing very little. It's absolutely abhorrent and I don't know how he's getting away with it?

I’ve been thinking this for a very long time. Chickens are coming home to roost.

Yep. Not even proper celebs. I can see this happening with The Radfords. I can see one of the older girls doing similar. They are always falling out with eachother and then made up with the promise of another Florida holiday 🙄Also family bloggers in general. They're creating a monster and eventually it's going to blow up,once the kids realise they've had every aspect of their lives put online without consent and probably no money put in a fund etc.

Sorry I've gone off on a tangent there re Brooklyn and his comments re growing up in the public eye.

Yep. It makes me think of those influencers Myka and James Stauffer who adopted a little boy and he was part of their content and then they ‘rehomed’ him not that much longer after because his difficulties.

Yep. It’s been going on for years. Children such as Shirley Temple and Judy Garland exploited by their parents and other adults for the coin.

With BB, we even know where he was conceived. Imagine the world knowing that your given (unusual) first name is due to the fact that’s where your parents DTD resulting in you.

DB and VB could easily have raised their children outside of the public eye. They had the means to do so. But not the will.

In defence of the Beckhams, we now know far, far more about the damage public childhood can have compared to when Brooklyn was a baby.

But there is absolutely no excuse for why from the age of 12, Harper has been seen at a number of high profile events wearing one of her mother’s dress designs. Dresses that are slinky versions of a slip/ nightie. Including dresses with cut out sections below the breasts. Dresses that are far too grown up for such a young girl. But hey, she’s Mummy’s new muse by the looks of things.

Completely agree.
Decent celeb parents would keep their kids out of the spotlight as much as possible. I feel similarly about ordinary parents posting pictures of their kids on social media.

I really do think he is exactly that, demonstrating why it is so damaging to monetise your children for social media. I think we see shades of this even for "normal" parents who overshare every aspect of their children's lives for likes. Hopefully there will be a greater awareness of the risks. The point about him trying to meet his father in London before his 50th was possibly one of the saddest.

Oh and Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash would be wise to have a very good look at what is going on with the Beckhams.

I agree. And not just celebs. I know people who’ve posted their children’s every move from the early days of FB. The kids are around 18/19 now. Imagine having your toddler tantrum videos and health issues for all to read online.

They aren't quite the same as the kids aren't household names. However, SS is big on promoting the image of the perfect family life and I Imagine her two young adult sons are probably getting tired of being part of that image.

It is nothing new, yes. But children as/of influencers have less protections in law than those in more established areas like theatre.
The 'other' notorious/infamous youtube family appears to be in lots of financial trouble and constantly on the road with their kids. The dad displays v. Creepy behaviour
www.artefactmagazine.com/2025/02/06/how-the-uk-still-fails-to-protect-child-influencers/

I seem to recall that Brooklyn was involved in some kind of 'influencing' project that didnt work out? His part to play in the family 'brand' ?

I would like to see privacy laws for children that mean their images can not be shared on social media without explicit consent from 16 onwards.
As for filming tantrums, bedtimes and bathtimes these freak parents want locking up.

It's disgusting, I think social services should keep an eye on these types of "influencers"

Yes but the Radford daughters appear to be doing the same thing with their own children now. I suppose they know no better.

Yes, and I think Prince Harry is another example of this, albeit he was exposed to it not at the behest of his family AND the family was in an unusually elevated social position.

I also think the way the women in the equation are positioned as the evil villain of the situation is key. In a patriarchy, women are always wrong. So the influencers that are women are denounced for it, but the fathers are equally to blame. Whether they hold the camera or not, they share responsibility.

I'm waiting for the book. The Rise and Fall of the House of Beckham. Or Bent it Like Beckham.

Saffie Khan is also guilty of this (her fiance is Liverpool footballer Curtis Jones). Their little girl is plastered all over her Instagram account.

I really feel for Brooklyn. He has obviously tried to deal with it pribately and realised that isn’t working. These types of parents who see their children as part of the money making brand are really damaging their children and I agree we are going to see a huge fall out over the coming years, as more kids who have been posted on social media come of age.

I know of the Sacconyjolys. Creepy dad, enabling and somewhat checked out mum who is more interested in her eating disorder which she now hides behind her going to ‘school’ to learn about nutrition, and her looks. Kids are sexualised, dressed inappropriately for their age, they’ve transitioned one, one was talking about hating herself at age , private moments shown….it’s all great for views though.

Another terrible one are the Inghams. They’ve ruined their 6 children. Their kids are the reason people watch but I doubt very much those kids have anything put by for them as their life is catching up with them now. The kids are ‘homeschooled’ but none are progressing, socially they are behind, older ones have little to no qualifications, the parents are happy to isolate them from the world for their channel on YouTube. Awful.

Laws need to be made to protect these children.