I'm a six-figure fluency mom - my kids don't care when they see their bank accounts.

ALast week another video of a child cooking with his mother appeared on my “For You” TikTok page. The five-year-old girl was pouring a cup of sugar into a bowl of chocolate cake batter and was clearly laughing and enjoying her life. Still, I couldn’t help but ask myself the inevitable question: Does this child know how much of her life is on social media?

Family influencers who feature their children’s content face inevitable concerns about their children’s safety with every video they post — exacerbated by public scrutiny after several high-profile episodes.

For example, last month, a police investigation was launched into Hannah Hiatt, a mother and influencer known as “Nurse Hannah” on TikTok. The investigation came after a video of a naive family grocer appeared to show Hiatt’s two-year-old son shielding his face from his father as he moved a box of cereal past him.

The toddler’s apparent faltering led to a swift backlash, with commenters suggesting the boy’s behavior indicated abuse. In response, Hyatt quickly removed the video. But the damage was done — the Ogden, Utah, police department later confirmed there was “an open and active investigation” into Hiatt due to “multiple reports through Child Protective Services and police.”

It’s the latest in a string of incidents that have plagued the murky world of “mumflouncers” — mothers who have built a successful social media presence by filming their children.

One of mom’s biggest influencers, YouTuber Ruby Franke — who ran her family’s “8 Passengers” channel — was sentenced to 30 years in prison in February 2024 for abusing her 12-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter. The high-profile case raised questions about consent in the influential family sphere and how to protect children in those spaces.

When it comes to money, at least some progress has been made to ensure fairness, with a law passed in California in September requiring parents to give up their earnings to their child’s social media influencers. But whether financially compensated or not, children under the age of consent who spend years earning money from their parents may become less enthusiastic as teenagers.

Influencer Britney Wester: — Influencer Brittney Wester: “I pay my kids for the videos they’re in. They don’t know it now, but at some point they realize they’ve put away a bank account.” (Courtesy of Brittany Wester)

Franke’s daughter Shari — the oldest of six — doesn’t look back on her stardom fondly. The 21-year-old revealed in October while speaking to the Acting Committee on Commerce and Labor in Utah that while he was paid to document embarrassing moments as a child, it means nothing to him now.

“If I could go back and do it all over again, I’d rather have an empty bank account now and not chalk up my childhood to the internet. “No amount of money I received was worth what I experienced.” he said

It’s something that mother-of-three Brittany Wester, with more than 225,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, is becoming increasingly aware of. But Wester is convinced that those feelings will not be felt by her children, who are now aged one, three and five.

I’m starting to see some of that on social media with other influencers, where people are like, “You’re using your kids for a video.” So I cut back on the amount of screen time my kids have in my videos and my content isn’t necessarily about them and their lives. “But I still pay my kids for the videos they’re in. They don’t know it now, but at some point they’ll realize they’ve left a bank account.”

Wester’s fan following has grown to such an extent that he was recently able to quit his 9-5 job, all thanks to “Mom Fluencing.” Her strong online presence led to her being selected for the Amazon Influencer program, where she was tasked with filming her kids playing with their toys and adding links to these products on Amazon. His annual salary has never been higher.

Ever since I quit my other job, my kids see it like, “Dad’s job is software development and Mom’s job is filmmaking.” The earning potential and support with the Amazon program is really good. “This is the first year I’ve made six figures,” he says.

Wester is committed to sharing the wealth. Every time he receives a commission when someone buys a product through his links, half goes directly into his children’s savings account. He spends the other half on the needs of Fluencer’s mother’s business.

Influencer Ann Lo Do – mother of three, ages two, seven and nine – has found purpose amid the pandemic by making videos about the chaos of motherhood. It’s now been four years since she became a “mom influencer,” and in that time she’s amassed 419,000 followers on Instagram and 305,000 followers on TikTok.

Big brands like Verizon, Gymboree, Wawa, Target and M&Ms have trusted her to drive sales through video content of her and her children using their products. According to De Lo, his children jump at the chance to appear in these clips, centered around their favorite family activities at home, because they know it’s for his job.

Comedy is key in his other videos about married life, which include sexual innuendos about maintaining intimacy with his wife as a busy parent. He’s clear that the content is aimed at a strictly adult audience, with one clip showing the couple dancing and cuddling, leading to an intimate moment – which inevitably happens when their kids enter the bedroom. is limited However, Le Do’s children have not seen those clips despite playing in them.

“I share my family because it means something to me,” says influencer Anne Le Doe. (Courtesy of Ann Le Do)

“In the future, when they’re exposed to it, I think they’ll realize it was all for adult humor, and we can just laugh at it,” he says.

You will never see Le Do refer to his children’s personal lives. “I often make fun of myself and the realities of family life, but always in a gentle and loving way. My kids sometimes look small, but I am careful not to include anything that will embarrass them. “If they’re not in the mood or don’t want to be a part of something, I never push it.”

Just like Wester, Lou Doe shares his mother’s substantial income with his family. A portion of her money goes directly into an account for the kids and is used for whatever dream career they eventually want to pursue. He also spends some of the budget on family fun and his professional social media resources.

“Since we’re a dual-income family, my income helps us afford experiences like trips, activities, or even small moments that bring us closer together,” she says. I also reinvest in my work with equipment upgrades or opportunities that will help me grow in the long term.”

Online mom-shaming is inevitable in a digital world where everyone has an opinion on everything, as Wester and Lee Do know all too well. However, they are not shy about posting what they want.

“At the end of the day, I share my family because it’s meaningful to me, whether I’m an influencer or just a mom who captures and celebrates their little moments. If I get negative feedback,” says Lou Doe. I try not to let negativity get to me.

Wester claims she’s received nothing but love from people online, except when one critic called out a one-second video of her child watching something on a tablet.

For now, he ignores any grudges about how he makes his money. “I don’t feel guilty about it. I send a bunch of links, of course I make money from it.” “But I still spend 30 to 40 hours a week researching, filming, and editing. It doesn’t get in the way of my ‘normal’ life,” she says.