Famous at 11: child Instagramers in Russia and how they’re using Instagram and TikTok to ‘like’ their way to fame
- Children as young as 11 years old are making a name for themselves on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube
- Many Russian parents encourage their children to blog and post online, even sending them to classes to improve their social media skills
Liza Anokhina was 11 when people started recognising her in the street. Now a year older, she is one of Russia’s most popular child bloggers, and has 2.4 million followers on Instagram.
In a Moscow park, her producer jogs backwards, using his phone to film as Liza runs and blows raspberries.
Tall and slim and wearing thick make-up for the shoot, she squeals with laughter when she views the result.
“We’ve done [Instagram] ‘stories’, now we’ll do TikTok,” the 25-year-old producer Ivan Bushmelev tells her, referring to her main social media platform.
Russia counts some 40 million Instagram users, behind only Indonesia, India, Brazil and the United States, according to data firm Statista. The photo-sharing platform is particularly popular among children, analysts say.
Instagram and other platforms have spawned a generation of young “influencers”, leading to concerns that parents might exploit children for financial gain.