Help! My child wants to be a social media influencer

More and more primary school kids dream of chasing fame and cash on TikTok and YouTube. What do parents need to explain about the work, the pressure – and the dangers – before that dream goes public? — dpa

BERLIN: If you ask primary school pupils these days what they want to be when they grow up, they tend to name two occupations with particular frequency: professional footballer and social media influencer.

The latter actually isn't surprising given many kids' love of dressing up, performing before an audience and trying out various roles. What's new, however, are the huge audiences and commercial opportunities enjoyed by top influencers on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.