Are kid-influencers on the rise in Asia?

In the vibrant world of social media, where authenticity reigns supreme, a new breed of digital stars are emerging: kid-influencers.

These young, charismatic personalities are capturing hearts and screens with their genuine charm and unfiltered perspectives. Once relegated to the background of parental posts and family photos, children are now stepping into the spotlight, commanding significant influence.

Their unpretentious content and candid moments resonate deeply with audiences, offering a refreshing departure from the often polished and curated images of adult influencers. In this new era of marketing, kid-influencers are not just riding the wave—they’re shaping its course. 

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This is true even in Asia. According to Adrian Ang, co-founder and chief creative officer of HEPMIL media group, kid-influencers are popping up more frequently now, with digital-native parents sharing every adorable, tantrum-filled moment. However, finding a really good kid-influencer is equivalent to "finding the best bubble tea in Singapore, it's hard to come by", said Adrian Ang. 

He himself is a parent who manages a kid-influencer account. His son, nicknamed 'Ploop Ploop', is often seen hanging out with him at home, at restaurants and in parks.

Most recently, the family was seen holidaying around Western Australia where Ang shared videos of Ploop Ploop excitedly pointing out animals at Meelup Farmhouse. 

Adrian Ang refers to kid-influencers as a "secret weapon" in every parent's wallet, saying: 

"Brands know that if a kid-influencer says a toy is good and fun, all their fans will bug their parents until they buy it."

Of course, Adrian Ang's top priority is that Ploop Ploop has fun when it comes to working with brands, adding that safety and privacy is often what he looks at when he receives a brand deal for his kid. 

"I want to make sure that the content is good and not something that will embarrass my kid later when he grows up," said Adrian Ang. "When he grows a little older, I will want to make sure that his participation is voluntary."

The appeal of kid-influencers

This rising demand for brands to collaborate with influencers and their children is also growing in Southeast Asia, said Yi Hui Toh, country manager, Singapore, AnyMind Group. 

He explained that the demand is coming from brands in categories such as home and living, fast-moving consumer goods, food & beverage, consumer technology, health and nutrition, and of course, parenting. 

The rising demand has even led to the creation of packages specifically targeting parents with kids, said Toh. The rise, according to Toh, is due to audiences perceiving kid-influencers content as more authentic. 

"As the early generation of influencers in Southeast Asia start their families and parenthood journeys, many have also featured their children in content and have received strong reception for showing a different side of their lives. Many of these children also have social media accounts created (on behalf of them by their parents), and have also garnered significant followings," said Toh. 

"In addition, there are also creators such as Little Monster that create content for parents and families - providing a variety of ways for brands to target the younger demographic. Apart from the varied content angles, audiences may perceive kid-influencers content as more authentic," he added. 

According to Toh, brands might choose to work with a kid-influencer because the content possibilities by kid-influencers provide a breath of fresh air to existing content available. He added: 

"From toy unboxing and reaction videos to enjoying hobbies, kid-influencers can also provide another dimension to authenticity in content."

"Make no mistake, a majority of audiences are still above 18 years old, especially amongst the parent demographic. Even when kids are watching the content, it is usually under the guidance of their parents or guardians," explained Toh. 

Ultimately, working with an influencer means having access to their audience, and this should be one of the most critical points for selecting an influencer, said Toh.

Situations where brands would collaborate more with kid-influencers include bringing new angles into content and campaigns, extending collaborations from parents to their children, or even taking a long-term investment towards building a brand relationship with a particular young influencer, he explained. 

Ethics and guidelines

Should a brand decide to work with a kid-influencer, Toh suggests that brands "implement their own set of guidelines to make sure it is ethical and aligns with the brand image that they want to portray to the public". 

This also includes disclosing paid content and following existing advertising laws, said Toh. While each market in Asia has different regulations surrounding working with an influencer - or a kid-influencer in this case - various countries and the industry as a whole are continuing to work towards a set of fair regulations. 

Meanwhile, Ang Peng Hwa, chairman of Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore said there aren't any advertising laws specific to the use of influencers in Singapore. 

He explained that the onus of complying with regulations and guidelines, including those involving the use of truthful claims and the disclosure of sponsored content, lies with the adults managing them. 

"Parents who manage child influencers should be aware of the guidelines of the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice (SCAP), which would apply to sponsored social media content and be treated as advertisements in the eyes of regulators," said Ang Peng Hwa.

"In particular, advertisements addressed to or featuring children should adhere to appendix C (children and young people) of the SCAP, which takes into account the way children perceive advertising messages and should not exploit them or result in harm to them," he added.

On top of that, Ang Peng Hwa said that parents should be mindful of their child's privacy and aware that online content is difficult to remove and may negatively affect children who have been in the public eye later in life.

Therefore, they should be exercising caution when choosing the content they create, said Ang Peng Hwa. 

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