By Carla Hildebrandt, Jessica Longbottom and Dunja Karagic
In one photo Rosie lounges on the ground, wearing a tight crop top, staring into the camera. In other photos she poses like a model, looking over her shoulder, pouting.
These images have been posted to an online platform where “fans” can subscribe for “exclusive” pictures of their favourite influencers.
Fans need to be over 18 to subscribe. In other words: adults only.
But Rosie is a child. She’s only allowed on the platform because one of her parents manages the account.
Warning: The following story contains graphic details readers may find confronting.
Comments such as “beautiful”, “bloody hot”, “gorgeous”, “so cute”, “so attractive” or “babe” flood Rosie’s page, often accompanied by fire or heart emojis. Many of these appear to be from men. They tell her she has the body of a “goddess”, compliment her “cute” feet, tell her they’re “in love” with her and that they “want to see more”.
Subscribers pay about $30 a month to see photos of Rosie and some pay even more to send her personal messages.
This is just one example uncovered by Four Corners where men are making inappropriate — and at times violent and sexual comments — about young girls.
Often the girls are child influencers – or “kidfluencers” – who are using social media for innocent reasons, like showing off their dancing skills or trying to secure brand deals.
But some of their accounts are being targeted by strangers who lust over them, make sexual comments on their pages and sometimes even download their images, exchanging them on other social media sites.
In the worst cases, children’s photos are being downloaded and transformed into pornographic deepfakes, then uploaded into private chat forums.
Some parents Four Corners have spoken to feel resigned to live with this attention, seeing it as a price to pay for making their child a social media star.
Others appear to be actively courting the men to make money.
“There are many parents who know exactly what’s going on,” says Lyn Swanson Kennedy, who works with Collective Shout, a not-for-profit organisation that lobbies against the objectification of women and children.
Four Corners is not publishing the real names or images of the children we describe in this story to protect their safety. “Rosie” is a pseudonym.
Parents selling ‘exclusive’ online access to their children
One of the sites enabling this sort of activity is BrandArmy.
Like OnlyFans, it allows people to start a channel and make money from subscriptions, tips, private messaging and live streams, but it doesn’t allow nudity or sex on its platforms.
BrandArmy describes itself as a place for athletes, musicians, models and creatives to grow their brand and get paid.
It has allowed children aged 13 and over to have their own channels if they are managed and run by a parent.
Meanwhile, the people subscribing to these children’s channels must be over 18.
Four Corners has found several children’s accounts posted with suggestive captions and attracting inappropriate comments.
Among them are young Australian influencers with parent-run accounts, whose pages contain photos of the girls wearing tight clothes or swimsuits.
For a monthly fee, their subscribers get a “behind the scenes” look at the girls’ lives, which includes photos, videos and other content.
For even more money, they can send the girls messages or unlock extra “exclusive” photos.
BrandArmy says it no longer allows children to sign up but Four Corners has found dozens of underage girls still on its platform.
Some international accounts offer shots of the girls wearing a bikini and riding a horse, wearing “short shorts”, as well as doing dance stretches. They are also often littered with suggestive emojis, including winking or poking a tongue out.
After being shown Rosie’s BrandArmy account, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant described it as “gross”.
“This is a child,” she said.
“This is selling and commodifying your child’s innocence, and we’re never going to be able to sterilise the internet. These images will follow this young woman throughout her life.
“That’s [BrandArmy] profiting from exploitation and the sexualisation of children.”
When Four Corners flagged accounts featuring sexualised content with BrandArmy, the company took them down.
BrandArmy declined to comment for this investigation but says on its website that it interviews the parents of junior account holders before they’re given a channel and that it actively moderates the site.
(Source: ABC Australia)
