I won’t even lie, these days I get most of my entertainment on social media, especially Instagram and Tik Tok, like most of us do. I mean, celebrity hype, fashion icons, everybody living their best life on exotic locations. Lmao, me I just want to watch and be entertained. Lately, I’ve really started to enjoy children’s accounts, those baby memes from adorable toddlers with near adult perceptions of the world. Obviously, it is maintained by their parents and family, still, I sha love to see it. Even though it’s about cute little babies that I just want to fold into my arms, there are lots of clarity, learning, family life etc. Some of them are real, some are staged, but at least I enjoy most of them.
As I watch these videos though, I sometimes wonder if there are or will there be disadvantages or repercussions in the future for social media famous children. First, let’s even talk about how we do here in Nigeria. I know there are some cool Lagos and Abuja moms who share their pregnancy bumps online and who open separate accounts for their children, but fam! Those ones don’t have in-laws on social media o. The rest of us who have family hawking us should know that nobody will even know you are pregnant until your child has won a scholarship to study Chemical Engineering at Harvard. Lol. So, I guess what I want to know is, as a Naija woman, would you be willing to raise your child on social media?
Before you jump to answer, let’s talk about some of the benefits. Famous accounts on Instagram are not just about “the gram.” It’s serious business. People are raising celebrity children who get paid to promote products and services. We see kids holding up toys or modeling children’s clothes, food, learning devices etc. for companies. To be honest, I think, these income from social media, whether as supplements to a family’s income or as their major income is important. Life is difficult and as we advance in technology, what’s wrong with using it to make money? After all we are all here pressing our phones. Sure, some people will argue that you are using your children for money, but no be who get pikin go chop from am? Lmao. Just kidding, I think.
Now, on some of the backlash, there are several videos from famous children’s accounts that have talked about how people recognize the kids in public, ask to take pictures with them etc. In Nigeria with all our witchcraft and wickedness, this will simply not work, unless your Odeshi is strong sha. Lol. On a more serious note though, exposing children to the public eye and eventually to fame is a tricky road to walk. We’ve all heard about struggles of child actors in their adult years who were stripped of a normal childhood. What can I say, the thing dey affect negatively sometimes. Anyway, I want to know what you think: would you raise your child under the public glare of social media?