04/15/2024
The research and reporting for this article is so impressive, but the content is tough. As I read about mothers monetizing their daughters despite the real risks to their mental health and the onslaught of predatory men, I emotionally bounced from disbelief to anger (with judgment rising).
I was shocked to read that nearly one in three preteens lists influencing as a career goal. What do we need to understand about influencing and being influenced? This might be the very worst side of the influencer/creator economy, but I think it holds lessons for all of us.
When reading about the mothers who felt like they could not stop the influencing or shut down accounts despite knowing the harm it was causing, I kept thinking, "Damn, this sounds a lot like addiction."
I know social media can feel like addiction. Even when it's hurting us, we don't stop.
Two things:
1. Please know that we talk about child exploitation and the sexualization of girls in this conversation.
2. We're still experimenting with comments. We built a commenting platform on brenebrown.com. We're trying new things to see what works and what doesn't. Is it possible to have meaningful convos and debate on what's going on in the world today? Jury is still out.
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