Graphic/ Ciara Foley

Many would consider 15 minutes of fame to be a life accomplishment. Traditional society portrays such glamor as a dream standard, where one can obtain wealth, attention and stardom all while living a flamboyant lifestyle. While fame was previously reserved for individuals with specific talent, anyone can now become famous just for being themselves thanks to the internet. Social media has followed such patterns through the rise of family content as child stars are gaining intense popularity from simply standing in front of cameras and publishing content. It is the modern day version of childhood acting prodigy; however, it unethically sets children up for a future of fame.
There’s no question that content creation has become a full-fledged career in the modern age; the variety of social media apps and dynamic trends allows any user to gain and profit off of likes. In particular, it brings a whole new meaning to the role of a stay-at-home parent—what is traditionally perceived to be a banal routine career path now allows guardians to highlight the aesthetic, productive aspect of parenting. Videos of activities as mundane as going to the grocery store receive thousands of likes and shares, glorifying a homely lifestyle that, in return, allows such content creators to receive income from the amount of attention received. It is beneficial, in particular, for income yet takes away from the foremost priority: the child.
For a child’s development, consistent care and attention is crucial as it acts as a foundation for intellectual and emotional growth. According to FamilyEducation, babies and young children learn to “trust and rely on caregivers through mutual reaction and communication with repeated positive experiences,” including generic actions such as being held or being fed.
Evidently, families are typically providing their children with proper care and attention needed, just doing so while holding down a record button. Not only does it veer complete attention away from the child, but also teaches children to live for the camera–not for themselves. Parents play a vital role in modeling proper behavior for children; therefore, constantly shoving a camera in even a baby’s face and encouraging excitement only when seen performing builds the concept of living for others into the child’s mind, leading to poor emotional grasp when the child is fully grown.
It’s not to say that guardians shouldn’t document parts of their children’s lives; however, having a camera around children from an early age promotes the idea that  they need to perform in order to achieve likability. Modern day hustle culture already roots and replenishes from unrealistic societal standards of consistent work production and effort that drives individuals to burn out quickly. Furthermore, adding internal expectations regarding peer acceptance simply exacerbates the issue. In addition, children are not at a developmental age to provide consent to lead a life of fame and constantly be in the spotlight because many may regret gaining it in the future. Stardom is alluring, yet further may provide consequences that can heavily impact an individual’s life; arguably, it is best applied when an individual has the awareness and brain development to strive for such a lifestyle.