"I know where you live, let’s be friends": Digital Violence in the Context of Kidfluencing

Abstract

Kidfluencing is an activity of minors involved in creating and sharing social media content with embedded commercial collaborations. Variants of kidfluencing range from content creation mainly carried out by parents to the children’s largely independent activity. The purpose of this article is to investigate forms of digital violence that may occur in the context of kidfluencing. The analysis draws on theoretical approaches by Galtung and Bourdieu to examine how direct and structural violence operate through the symbolism of words and images, shaping digitality as an ordering process. Data derived through netnography and critical discourse analysis reconstructs parents’ perspectives on kidfluencing, often revealing cultural violence stemming from a lack of awareness about digital harms. This is contrasted with the perspectives of kidfluencers, who do not perceive online and offline as separate spheres but instead view digitality as a fundamental reference structure in their lifeworld. As a result, digital violence does not remain purely symbolic but materializes in physical experiences that diminish children’s well-being and strongly call for the stricter regulation of kidfluencing practices.