A Parent’s Guide to Online Influencers

What is an online influencer?

It is a person who has a large number of people following them online through gaming and social media.

You may hear an online influencer commonly referred to as either a YouTuber, social influencer, streamer or gamer.

Subscribe, follow, share, like are just some of the ways online influencers build their fan base.

Follow me!

Give me a ‘like’!

Share my video!

Subscribe to my channel!

They can influence their audiences behaviour by being entertaining, offering advice and guidance.

The more views they get, the more popular they become.

However…

Online influencers are not regulated and for many, their aim is to grow an audience that they can then sell products to and make money from.

Brands will pay online influencers to promote, advertise and recommend their products.

Children can easily be convinced and persuaded by friendly engaging content to give money or subscribe to join a communities for a fee.

Looking good!

Enter a competition to win skins!

Loot box win every time!

Free points to build your team!

Some influencers can be poor role models who show children negative behaviours such as drugs, alcohol, bad language, fake news, violence and dangerous pranks.

It can be very easy to brainwash children and fill their minds to get them to act differently. We need to be mindful, whilst young people spend much more time online, they are very likely to come across many different types of influencers.

Would you like to join our gang?

I HATE YOU

Can you help us?

Check out these real videos on our page

What you can do to help keep your child safe online

Always discuss regularly with your child what they watch and follow online.
If your child follows an online influencer, then if you do the same, you will be able receive the content as well and be better prepared in helping to advise your child.
Discuss regularly the positive and negative elements of online influencers.
Always let your child know that they should never purchase anything online without gaining your permission first.
Always let your child know that they should always say if they see or hear anything online that makes them feel scared or uncomfortable and to never arrange to meet someone who they have met online.
Let them know that they do not have to feel as though they have done something wrong, nobody is going to get cross and it is not their fault.
If you are concerned with anything you or your child has seen or asked to do, please call Childline or tell your child’s school.

Always encourage your child to:

Tell a parent or trusted adult, like a teacher.

Tell an older brother or sister.

Tell Childline.

They will know how to help.

Our award-winning Safety Net workbook

Safety Net is an award-winning fun and colourful resource packed with 24 pages of engaging content, illustrations, crosswords and wordsearch puzzles proven to help children stay safe when using the Internet, social media, gaming and more.

The friendly format will encourage your child, from an early age, to be open about what they do and see online without fearing they have done something wrong.

Suitable for:

Children 6-14 years.
All parents to read to their young children.

Now available as a standalone resource outside of our school workshop and webinar programmes.

Visit our bookshop

Sign up and keep up to date

Subscribe FREE to our Parent Guides newsletter and receive regular updates. As the digital world continues to evolve, you will be equipped with the latest knowledge to confidently help your child stay safe as they grow up online.

Just enter your email address and the year in which your child/children are in at school.