What do you want to be when you grow up? For some children, the answer is not a doctor, pilot or architect — it is YouTuber.

Of the thousands of Indonesian children who want to be social media stars, few are actually living the dream. One of them is Moonella Sunshine Jo.

At the age of 5, Moonella has amassed over 1.2 million followers on Instagram and more than half a million YouTube subscribers.

Her social media posts are inundated with comments of fans who praise Moonella for her cheerfulness and adorable personality.

Her mother, Merry Inggriany, said Moonella had shown a “fondness for being in the public eye” at the tender age of 2, when she first guest starred in several TV shows.

Moonella had no problem talking and singing in front of a crowd, Merry claimed, adding that she wanted to support Moonella’s passion and further develop her talent in the entertainment industry.

Moonella has starred in the advertisements of online shopping platform Shopee, alongside dangdut star Via Vallen and singer Syahrini.

She has endorsed various children’s products, including baby diaper MamyPoko. Each of the brands pays up to Rp 10 million (US$712) for a sponsored Instagram post, and Rp 4 million for a promotion via 24-hour Instagram stories.

While many parents struggle to save for their children’s education, Moonella — thanks to her fame — has earned enough “to pay her tuition fees until she graduates from university”, her mother revealed.

Her little brother, Marsson Starlight Jo, appears to be following in her footsteps. Merry created an Instagram account for Marsson days before he was born, and before Marsson even started to crawl he became a selebgram (Instagram influencer).

The 2-year-old toddler now has over 400,000 Instagram followers and has been featured in advertisements for MamyPoko and milk brand Dancow.

Merry, who just established several online shops, is aware that more and more parents nowadays want to make their children famous online because it generates money. Yet, she rejected the notion that she was exploiting Moonella and Marsson, as “the kids enjoy being in front of the camera”.

“I have witnessed some parents forcing their children to pose in front of the camera, which I don’t do,” Merry said, although she also admitted there were times when Moonella was in a bad mood and declined requests to take photographs with others.

“When such a time comes, I will try to convince her that the uncles and aunties love her so much that they want to have photos together.”

In Indonesia, it is not uncommon for people to share videos and photos of their children on public Instagram, YouTube or Facebook accounts. Some even monetize these accounts to capitalize on their children’s social media fame.

Singer Gisella Anastasia, for example, promotes on her account of 24 million followers children’s toys and accessories using her 4-year-old daughter Gempita Nora Marten.

Celebrity couple Raffi Ahmad and Nagita Slavina often feature their son Rafathar Malik Ahmad in advertisements posted on their joint Instagram account @raffinagita1717, the second-most followed Instagram account in Indonesia with 34.6 million followers.

Child psychologist Amanda Margia Agustario warned of potential psychological problems children may endure when given little to no privacy.

“Even adult celebrities often get frustrated when too many people try to approach and make physical contact with them. It also applies to children,” Amanda said, arguing these children were often asked to fake their feelings in front of their fans.

“It could negatively affect their mental development.”

Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) commissioner Jasra Putra echoed Amanda’s concern, saying the children might have problems if they discover negative comments about them online.

He also said it was important for parents to ask for their children’s consent before featuring them on any digital platform. “That’s an ethics guide parents should follow.”

Jasra further revealed that a child should not work until they reach the age of 13, as regulated under Manpower Law No. 13/2003. The job, moreover, should not disturb their health and development.

Parents who use their underage children to earn money could be “exploiting” them, Jafra warned.

A 2004 Manpower Ministry decree allows children under 15 to take job opportunities to develop their talent and passion, so long as they work no more than three hours a day or 12 hours a week total.

However, in the world of kid influencers, the line is blurred between working and playing. Children may enjoy playing with new toys or exploring playgrounds without realizing that their parents gain profits from posting the photos and videos of their “fun activities”.

Comedian, filmmaker and parent Ernest Prakarsa believes in the importance of upholding children’s privacy.

In an Instagram story, Ernest and his wife, writer Meira Anastasia, revealed that some brands had offered them greater endorsement deals if the couple featured their two children in promoting products via social media.

The couple declined the deals and rarely feature their children on their accounts, saying that privacy was a luxury they no longer had. Therefore, they did not want to remove the “priceless” anonymity their kids had.

“If they eventually choose to be public figures in the future, I will definitely support them. But at least I know that it’s their own decision to be famous,” Ernest said.

Singers Raisa Andriana and Anggun Cipta Sasmi go even further by not showing their daughters’ faces at all. Anggun puts stickers over her teenage daughter’s face in all online posts.

Meanwhile, Raisa always conceals the face of her 8-month-old in her Instagram photos.

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