
Kidfluencers Are Online, Recruited by Advertisers and 4 Years Old - tysone
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/01/business/media/social-media-influencers-kids.html
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CM30
Previous discussion here:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19286701](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19286701)

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AlphaWeaver
The article mentions this, but the FCC already regulates children's
television, is it appropriate for there to be regulation on videos targeted at
kids as well?

I, for one, don't plan on exposing my kids to this until they're old enough to
hate advertising as much as I do.

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pjc50
For weird technical reasons I believe the FCC isn't able to regulate internet
video content _per se_?

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LanceH
Weird technical reasons like there is no law directing them to do so.

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bitwize
One time I saw a ten-year-old kid on YouTube demonstrating and promoting toys
in what was clearly a paid promotion. It struck me how well-rehearsed and
refined his "YouTuber voice" was. I was like "God, what monster have we
created?"

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forkLding
I'm going to play devil's advocate and say this isn't something new or newly
created at least, you can see kids on billboards posing as if they love the
products they're advertising, be it clothes or toys. Walk around a GAP
clothing store and that kind of messaging is everywhere. TV ads for kids
feature kids doing enthusiastic things that is likely acting. All in all, it
isn't as new as we think it is, it's just an extension of something already
there.

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sverige
My personal favorite creepy "kids promoting a toy" video is the Kazoo Kid from
1989, [0] which has been in turn used as the basis for hilarious mocking
remixes. [1] The Kazoo Kid has grown up and was evidently unharmed by the
exploitation of his innocent charm to sell toys. [2]

[0]
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cRpdIrq7Rbo](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cRpdIrq7Rbo)

[1]
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g-sgw9bPV4A](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g-sgw9bPV4A)

[2]
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wzkIboOqN8Q](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wzkIboOqN8Q)

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cabaalis
They're real, and they're effective. My son watches Ethangamer and has already
asked me to install 2 games he saw on there.

