Chris Brown recently took to his Instagram page to celebration of his daughter, whose name is Royalty Brown. The reason for the celebration is that his little pint-sized 6-year-old daughter has reached a jaw-dropping 1 million followers on her very own Instagram page.
Due largely to the significance of her father in the world of music and to her incredible charm and talents, this little girl has seen more media attention in her 6 years of life than most adults will ever see in their lifetime.
We live in the digital age and kids seem to be attached to their devices at all times. Popularity and fame are hinged on how many 'likes' and 'followers' an individual is able to attain, and content posted is cleverly geared towards pleasing the masses. Young YouTubers, podcasters, actors, singers, and artists of all genres flock to the internet with hopes and dreams to reach the level of 'success' that Royalty has already obtained.
The question is... is this healthy?
Celebrating 1 Million Followers
While this may be 'the way of the world' these days, that certainly does not equate to this being a healthy form of perceived success. While Chris Brown is seen dancing alongside Royalty in proud celebration of her Instagram success, other parents are not as convinced that this is a positive journey that this young girl is on.
She's merely 6-years-old and is already being taught that the foundation of her success depends on attention that she receives on an online platform. The dangers of the internet and the dark side of the web are very real, and Royalty is now caught in the midst of it all. She has already associated success with other people's perception and approval of her and her focus is on being likable. This can easily spiral to a huge issue in the future.
Let's not forget that Instagram is a largely visual social media platform. The way that Royalty looks has become a huge focus, and she is already learning to put incredible emphasis on her aesthetics and appearance; learning at a young age that appealing to the camera equates to her getting attention.
The Dangers Of Saturated Media Attention
Body image and self-esteem issues can easily rear their ugly heads as a result of having so much focus put on media attention.
Of course, there is also a 'comments' section on her Instagram page, which allows for the general public to weigh in with their thoughts –which are not always positive ones. She is now widely exposed to slander and online bullying, and many fear for her future.
We join in celebrating Royalty's newfound success, while simultaneously worrying for this young girl's future.