Troubling the notion of the child in child influencer culture
2025-06-26
This article explores the notion of the child as found in the growing body of research on child influencer culture. While much of the existing literature adopts a reductionist and risk-focused perspective, this article explores the complexities and variations of the child figure in this field. Through an empirical case study of a successful Swedish child influencer, we highlight how multiple representations of ‘the child’ – as professional, creative, vulnerable, and marketing subject – can coexist within a single campaign. Theoretically, we draw on complexity theory, the concept of multiplicity and the feminist idea of ‘staying with the troubles’. We argue for a more nuanced approach to studying child influencers by embracing the uncertainties and challenges involved, and acknowledge that influencing is only one of many roles children occupy in their lives. This approach encourages thinking about children in dynamic, interconnected ways, recognising the fluidity of their roles across time, space and context.