Should Foster and Adoptive Parents Be Allowed to Monetize Their Kids?

Social media can be a quick way to fame and fortune for a select few, but what happens when influencers use foster and adoptive children as props for content? When cute videos of children trying on clothing go viral, it seems like innocuous fun. But those children might be exploited.

A number of influencers are building empires off of content primarily focused on talking about how to foster, how they prepare for placements, and carefully curated affiliate links to items such as affordable baby clothes, or pricier “must-have” expensive baby gear.

Brittany Dawn is one such example. A lifestyle and fitness influencer with over one million TikTok followers—currently being sued by the state of Texas for allegedly conning her audience with bogus nutrition plans—Dawn has taken to creating popular content about becoming a foster parent. From viral “get ready with me” videos showcasing steps to prepare for an emergency placement with a foster child, to editing “a day in life” videos to carefully avoid exposing possible identifying features, influencers are getting more creative on how to showcase foster placements via content on social media like TikTok, Instagram, Youtube and Facebook.

Read more at The Daily Beast.