Childhood for Sale

 

Social media influencers have reached a new low by using their own babies to gain fame. From the moment a child is born, their every breath, cry, and smile is turned into content for strangers to consume. These are not proud parents cherishing memories, these are opportunists trading their child’s innocence for likes and shares. 

Consent is completely absent in this situation. A newborn cannot choose to have their life exposed to millions of people. The first birthday parties choreographed to perfection, are not for the child’s joy. The decorations, the outfits, the photos, everything screams one thing: "views matter more than the child". These milestones are stripped of meaning and turned into campaigns for brand deals and followers. What should be a meaningful moment turns into a strategy to gain attention.

Then there is the disturbing oversharing like Medical issues, tantrums, first steps, naming, innocence etc, are all shared online for strangers to scrutinize. These parents fail to consider the long term impact, from potential exploitation by strangers to the shame their child might feel when they grow older and see these moments online. The justification? “Parenting is hard we are just sharing our moments". But the truth is darker, they are selling their children’s lives for fame.

What about the child’s future? These kids will grow up with no privacy, their lives documented without permission. Imagine being a teenager and realizing your most vulnerable moments have been consumed, laughed at, or criticized by strangers. The embarrassment is permanent. The betrayal cuts deep. These children will grow up not as individuals but as former content, haunted by a digital legacy they did not create.

This is not parenting, it is exploitation. Parenthood is about safeguarding your child, giving them the freedom to grow, to fail, to learn. These influencers strip their children of that right, reducing them to props in an endless chase for fame. It is not just selfish but cruel.

Not every moment needs to be monetized. Not every milestone needs an audience. But these influencers do not care about boundaries. They blur the lines between family and followers, trading trust for traffic. The result? A generation of children robbed of their privacy before they even understand what it means. 

One day these kids will grow up and ask why their lives were sold for fame. What will these influencers say then? That the likes were worth more than their child’s dignity?