Continuing the discussion around instagram influencers and ethics

[bawbles]

Continued from old thread

@spongebob I'd agree, they've got fairly boring. He throws them around, balances them and generally follows the stereotypical hapless incapable father routine constantly referring Clemmie being out and subtly playing to all his female followers the card that he's home alone so much while Clemmie does her thing, while she tries to have a more mature account that's more transparent and grown up but she can't quite help but forget what she's said and display her kids everywhere. Neither need to do it, it's a fame choice. And I've no issue wIth people getting upset about those kids being used in this way.
The Meldrums have had a lot of flack on this thread but they now do need to do it because he's given up his job. They are much less transparent.
There are so many accounts that aren't about money or freebies it really does highlight how bad these accounts have become.

Well, my point is that it's (the child exploitation) has already been discussed time and time again with them. Very few of us agree with it but other than that, they seem to be more transparent of late, MOD has made efforts to go back to her roots with the midwifery posts and generally they seem to be keeping their noses quite clean (no unbelted children in moving cars etc!). So not much new to discuss on the ethics side of things. I'm not up to date on the bullying stuff though so prepared to be corrected on that.

Agreed fluffy. It's the meldrums full time job so fully expect them to be selling stuff, but some major major issues right now around their credibility and transparency.

@HRH hmm yes mud does stick. Those dms were far worse than anything on here. But just get upset, take a break and then come back when everyone's hopefully forgotten that you did exactly what you accused others of doing.
I just don't understand why their parents are not screaming 'what are you doing with these grandchildren?'

Well, my point is that it's (the child exploitation) has already been discussed time and time again with them

Exactly. And, as you say, they’ve made changes in other areas yet that aspect remains the same. So they obviously don’t give a fuck. Which doesn’t say great thing s about them tbh.

It is a wonder why brands bother with them. There must be so many followers who buy into it all. It's like teenagers and kids all wanting make up and candles by Zoella, and Squishies from smiggle, but it's adults which is kind of nuts.

Agree, it would be nice to see them tackle that somehow. Blurred photos of them, less photos of them. I don't know.

It's like teenagers and kids all wanting make up and candles by Zoella, and Squishies from smiggle, but it's adults which is kind of nuts

These threads alone show there's massive interest from mums/parents who follow their accounts (as well as some who say they don't follow their accounts but follow enough to know what's been posted and when)
It's a massive platform,and a successful one.

I guess they don’t have an issue with it, and I’m referring to all the parent bloggers/youtubers (trying not to always make it about Instagram) and if they’re comfortable with what they’re doing then that’s their choice.

I guess they don’t have an issue with it, and I’m referring to all the parent bloggers/youtubers (trying not to always make it about Instagram) and if they’re comfortable with what they’re doing then that’s their choice.

Exactly this. Their choice.

I think sometimes the fame and success can get to them and their accounts change as they show as many pics as they need to and accept any advertising or freebies thrown their way.

It's Kind of like you tube and insta is the now low budget reality show and because they control their content they make mistakes.

Any contestant on reality show has mental health assessment before and after.
Media / or help.

Some mummy vloggers _ insta mum's don't have that and make mistakes..

I do wonder sometimes how their wider community ie their parents siblings and freinds dont sometimes give them a reality check and say maybe thats out.
Meldrums parents happy to feature in her vlogs as do a few freinds/ neighbours and their kids. But her sister i would say looks cheesed off with it.

I think background plays a part lots had proper jobs or worked In pr/journalism before vlogging So they seem manage feedback and debate better.

When you think back to reality shows that involve kids it doesn't always end well.

Kelly and Jack Osbourne
Katie price when she was married to Peter
Kerry katona and her car crash marriage on my.

Do we wonder how the mini Kardashian will turn out hut they have extreme wealth/ security and even Kim after the robbery feels like she revealed too much.

Then we have Sam and billyfairs the mummy diaries.

I watched fearnes new mum programme and that was interesting as all the effort that went into insta photos she said if I dont post regular to social media than i dont get brands and I dont get paid and I'm a single mum so need the money.

It clearly becomes a cycle
Lines get blurred
The attention and the freebies become addictive and they say they doing it for their kids financial stability cashing in on short lived attention and fame.

I can think of 2 famous mums I follow on insta that respect their children's privacy.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and fearne cotton.

The issue is with family vloggers is their kids kind of are their main content.
Mod could argue in early days was her profession but for for its large family and multiples .

I started following Laura Heskeath after someone mentioning her on here and she and a few others have a very disturbing way of going in on posts and behaving in a very worrying way. It then continued on Alison Parry’s posts a week or so later. She also tried to rile MOD on another comment saying along the lines of ‘why don’t you comment or are you affraid’? I do not believe for one moment that those DMs were the whole story Laura comes across as very controlling why else would you screen shot dms and share them?

There was another Osborne child that refused to be part of that show? Was it a sister? Just remembered that! At least she had a choice!

So the fact the children have no choice or voice is ok?
Very odd way of looking at things. It's an off limit topic because it's the parents choice. But some parents choose to smack their kids, so that's ok? And some choose to only feed them crap food and that's ok? And some choose to let their kids pole dance and that's ok? The point being, in life, and on Aibu people continuously discuss what other people do with their kids, so why yet again is using them to make money and sell products, ok and not something that should be discussed?

At 11 kids go to secondary school, they often walk to bus stops alone or school alone. But when you sold your kid, their full name, their home, their garden to hundreds of thousands of people (and I'm sorry they are not all friends) how do you manage their safety and them having a normal life? We've seen time and again, these influencers don't have the answers and make mistake all the time (Clemmie in an interview-I'm careful and don't mention the kids school) yes after you showed everyone the blazer and allowed the school to publish them online.... they learn from their mother stakes but they are not stopping these mistakes from happening by, have no advice or management and no idea what they are doing.

Exactly this. Their choice

Not the children’s choice though.

Laura Hesketh is a bit odd. I also follow her and won't for much longer. But I thought her comments on MOD's page and the responses from MOD just dreadful.
But Laura heavily features 2 children that are not even hers, they are her siblings who she helps look after.

It’s the narcissism trait again though isn’t it? Seeing the children as mere extensions of the parents - lifestyle accessories to decorate and use as decoration - and not as individuals in their own right.

she and a few others have a very disturbing way of going in on posts and behaving in a very worrying way.

Wtf does this even mean? I follow Laura too. She seems pretty level headed to me. What exactly is “worrying” you? Other than she is able to articulate her opinions in a reasoned way?

Spongebob granny pants

Yes older daughter couldent tell you what she looks like or how she turned out.

Kelly and Jack had drink/ drug problems and relationship breakdown.
Their parents divorced

Being a family on reality show or you tube must have its strains.

How do the children get treated at school by teachers or freinds.

Making it their sole career must add all sorts tension/ pressure and strains also brings a lot if critism.

Saccone jolys
Inghams
Meldrums

All uk families that do this full time.

Other you tubers Louise Pentland/ zoella and fearne de force have management companies that support them and they become so big they dont have to try as hard.

As far as i know mod and did dont have YouTube so their kids less exploited than you tubers.

There were so many comments on that KK post it was hard to keep up but I recall MOD clearly asking Laura to stop following her as she was ‘always out to get her’ MOD then apologised for saying the word shame and edited her post and owned her mistake. It seems that for Laura that wasn’t enough and then took it to a DM which then published. Who does that? And to achieve what? It was a really nasty and came across like another way she wanted to control her. I don’t blame her for blocking Laura she seems very odd

Except that FOD's whole account and stories are his children. So they are exploited. He did talk about doing a YouTube channel, but I imagine even he would struggle to come up with enough hapless disasters to keep a channel going. I could be underestimating him here though as he seems to have never ending energy for dreaming up nonsense for his fans.

And mod hasn't posted dms 🙄 Or trolled people. I'm not saying Laura is amazing but MOD's behaviour was childish and awful and consistent with how she'd handled numerous situations and other people.
It's not her strength, managing her temper and people who question her.

Ok allergy you go ahead and rewrite your own version of history if it makes you feel better. The whole thing was an embarrassing spat best forgotten by everyone.

Not the children’s choice though

You could say that about anything as a parent making decisions for their children.

Vegan? Making the decision to raise your child vegan instead of eating meat.

Christian/Muslim/Jewish/whatever - bringing your child up into the faith too.

I didn’t say she was I just think when we only see a snippet of a dm/screen shop people need to consider the bigger picture.

I have no idea how any of these ‘influencers’ must handle the trolling, difficult questions or abuse. They’re not media trained like say (I’m using this as they’ve been mentioned) the Beckhams. Anyway I do think the break did her some good and I’m enjoying the new content especially the midwifery and much less ads it feels a lot more like where she started out