ABOUT

Social media is proliferating with influencers, but despite their prevalence and the extensive body of scholarship, there is no comprehensive book that frames the historical and contemporary phenomenon of child influencers. Drawing on original empirical ethnographic fieldwork and case studies from Asia Pacific and beyond, and spanning various digital platforms, this book looks at the emergence of child influencers and online fame more generally. Crystal Abidin, a pioneering scholar in this field, discusses key historical milestones, scandals, and the social and cultural contexts that have led to ordinary children becoming famous online, and how changing public discourse has resulted in important pivots in the ways we perceive them. The book addresses and challenges some of the moral panics against the visibility of children on social media and gives voice and agency to the children, their parents and guardians, and the agents and managers who have been striving to improve the child influencer market through their everyday practices and community norms.

Purchase via Polity Books/Wiley (discount code ‘CHI30’ valid as of 10 April 2026) or Amazon, or download Open Access.

ENDORSEMENTS & REVIEWS

“With unmatched expertise and passion, Abidin takes the reader on a fascinating, almost two decades-long anthropological journey to show how children have become internet famous. Simply a must-read!”
–Andra Siibak, University of Tartu

“In the first comprehensive book on child influencers, Crystal Abidin masterfully weaves together digital ethnography and case studies to understand the blurring boundaries between childhood, digital media, and the rise of influencer culture. Full of incisive analysis, this groundbreaking book is an important contribution to communication studies, sociology, anthropology, and beyond.”
–Benjamin Burroughs, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

RESOURCES

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BOOK TALKS

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CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: Mummy Bloggers
>Introduction
>’Mummy bloggers’: The first generation
>’Yummy mummy’: Luxury motherhood on Instagram
>’Tradwives’: Gender roles on TikTok
>’Beige mums’: 24/7 aesthetics on YouTube
>Conclusion

Chapter 2: Micro-microcelebrity

Chapter 3: Family Influencers

Chapter 4: Child Influencers

Chapter 5: KidTok

Chapter 6: Meme Celebrities

Chapter 7: Viral Stars

Chapter 8: Variety Stars

Chapter 9: Factories

Chapter 10: Ground Zero

Conclusion

This page was last updated on 10 April 2026.