Coco, Ethan Gamer, Taytum and Oakley, Hyun-ho, Gabe and Garrett – which kid influencers will find fame as adults?
The influencer marketing business is expected to be worth US$15 billion by 2022, according to Business Insider.
From toy reviews, fashion, games and product endorsements to documenting family lives, child influencers appeal to both social-savvy millennial parents and their school-age peers, who have grown up scrolling through Instagram and YouTube.
“Kid influencers” can earn at least US$100 for every thousand followers per sponsored post, according to business magazine Fast Company. And those who have a credible following of a million can demand as much as US$15,000 or more per post.
Here are seven kid influencers entertaining children and young-at-heart adults alike – but who will maintain their fame into adulthood?
Coco
With her fierce, nonchalant gaze and Anna Wintour-inspired bob, it’s clear that nine-year-old Coco from Japan already has a distinctive sense of style. Case in point: she effortlessly rocks street style pieces like puffer jackets, black track pants, teeny Vans and a red beret.
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Hyun-Ho (@hyun_ho_0421)
When Korean website ODG posted a video last October featuring a Korean boy and American girl – named Hyun-ho and Carson – meeting for the first time, it immediately went viral. As of writing this, the video has garnered a total of 39 million views and 1.5 million likes. It was soon followed by a video where Hyun-ho teaches Carson to speak Korean, which also was widely shared.
The videos have become a launching pad for Hyun-ho, who currently has 95,000 followers on Instagram, which features selfies decked in coats, jackets and jumpers.
When his first video reached 20 million views, he was asked in another reaction video how he felt about his new-found fame and how it could change his life. He replied: “I just want to continue with how I’m living now. I don’t think it will affect me. A video is just a video.”
Taytum and Oakley Fisher
They’re not just kid influencers but “twinfluencers”. Taytum and Oakley Fisher, whose Instagram accounts are run by their parents Madison and Kyler, seem to be destined for fame. Their vivacious personality comes from their parents who are in the entertainment industry – mum is an actress and dad an actor and film producer.
They have also helped the twins to launch their TV career, with both landing roles in the soap opera Days of Our Lives. And with a family YouTube account which has 3.9 million subscribers, the future is bright for the twins.
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Ethan Gamer
What do you get for playing Roblox, Minecraft and iPad games? With a unique take on gaming, Ethan has amassed 2.6 million subscribers. For this young gamer, “it’s not about being the best at gaming, it’s about playing games and having fun,” as he writes on the about portion of his YouTube channel. “I try to have as much fun as I can and I hope you have fun watching my vids,” says Ethan.
Ethan also does unboxing, challenges, vlogs and toy reviews on his second channel. He won the Gaming YouTuber Awards in 2017.
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Gabe and Garrett
Listed by Forbes as among of the top kid influencers of 2017, Gabe and Garrett command a solid base of 1.8 million subscribers. Gabe, 13, and Garrett, 11, are American boys based in California, and take pride in documenting their adventures.
The pair joined YouTube in August 2010, and 215 videos later, have earned a total of 1.7 billion views. Their channel provides family-friendly content: unboxing, their Sidewalk Cops series, toy reviews, Power Wheels racing, amusement park visits and fun activities for teens. And this led them to collaborating with toy companies like Lego, Hasbro and Nintendo.
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Opinion makers come in all shapes and sizes, and that includes children. Meet the ‘kid influencers’ who are blurring the line between e-commerce and social media – and making big money at the same time