Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesa Latifi
No one thought too much about it in the early days of social media. Snap a cute pic of your kids, share it online, what’s the harm? These days, though, parents are considering the impact of a childhood in the spotlight. Journalist Fortesa Latifi is one of those parents, and those questions echo throughout her book. Latifi traces the rise of family vlogging from the early days of text-based mommy blogs to today’s proliferation of family-centered YouTube channels with massive fanbases. These channels, ad-sponsored to optimize revenue, bring in huge amounts of cash, rocketing a successful vlogging family into an entirely different social status. But those successes come at a price, Latifi asserts, one that is mostly paid by the children who may or may not want their private moments boosted for likes and shares. Nuanced and thoughtful, this book raises interesting questions about the roles of creator, consumer and sponsor in the ever-churning cycle of content, and the lasting impact of viral fame.
Reviewed by Mary Kinser, collection development librarian, Whatcom County Library System
(Originally published in Bellingham Alive May 2026 issue.)