From Heatherburns · · 2m
Heather Burns Loves German Film on Children's Safety
Heather Burns warns UK's online safety law risks being influenced by influencers who prioritize branding over child welfare.
In brief
Heather Burns warns UK's online safety law risks being influenced by influencers who prioritize branding over child welfare. Heather Burns argues UK's online safety legislation should not be guided by influencers who exploit children for marketing revenue. Originally reported by Heatherburns.
Babystar Film
Heather Burns recommends German film Babystar, a dark satire about influencer parents whose children are monetized content.
“M ay I recommend, for your viewing enjoyment, a very good German film called Babystar . It’s currently on limited release in independent/arthouse UK cinemas.”
Influencer Parents in Film
The film depicts a family where teenage daughter Luca’s every moment from first ultrasound is broadcast as monetized content.
“She is at the natural point in every teenager’s life when they begin to explore their own identity outside of their parents, but she of course is not allowed to do that, because she is a brand and a product.”
DCMS Recruitment
DCMS recruited professional influencer-parents to endorse the draft Online Safety Act.
“In my years dealing with online safety legislation, which was its own sort of drama, the real-life storyline which to this day stands as the most absurd was the time when DCMS (as it was then) recruited professional influencer-parents to endorse the draft Online Safety Act.”
Children as Content
These parents conceived children specifically for content, with no child consent or choice in their branding.
“These were, like the influencer parents in Babystar, the kind of parents whose children have been conceived specifically as content . Like them, these were parents whose children market brands and are their own brands too.”
Reality Show Strategy
One influencer parent blew up relationships to create reality shows and exclusive reveals for marketing.
“Some of these parents have entered into relationships, conceived and bore children, and then blew up the relationships as part of scripted plotlines to sell reality shows and “exclusive reveals” in “Hello” .”
Radio Debate Drop
Heather Burns was minutes away from a Radio 5 Live debate with a notorious influencer parent who dropped out with no warning.
“I was even minutes away from going up on a national Radio 5 Live debate against one of these celebrities, the most notorious one, the one who can’t take a crap without making a reality show and an exclusive Sun headline out of it, but she dropped out with no warning.”
Menstruation Scene
A scene shows mother explaining menstruation in graphic detail to daughter on live stream for monetized content.
“There’s a squirm-inducing scene in Babystar where the teenager re-watches the YouTube video, filmed when she was still a very small girl, where her mother explained menstruation in graphic detail to her on their family live stream to capture her daughter’s terrified reaction, resulting in millions of views and lots and lots of money.”
18th Birthday Reality Show
The influencer parent got her daughter a reality show and lingerie photo shoot the week she turned 18.
“One of them was the abovementioned celebrity who didn’t show up to the radio debate, who subsequently got her daughter her own reality show and a lingerie photo shoot the week she turned 1.8.”
Online Safety Concerns
DCMS recruited parents who care about marketing, not children’s online safety.
“They were recruiting parents who, like the Babystar couple, didn’t actually care one way or the other about their children’s online safety. They cared about marketing.”
House Scene
The family lives in a sterile concrete house with no decor, hinting at their lack of personality.
“The house where the family lives, a sterile concrete rectangle, is clearly a nod to the house of horrors in Parasite, except this house is somehow even more soulless.”
Pool Scene
Luca throws herself in the pool to test if parents care, then throws father’s laptop into the pool.
“Recall the scene where Luca is trying to get her parents’ attention at the pool, where they are both staring at their screens, monitoring their audience numbers. After kicking and throwing water, she throws herself in and lies on the bottom as if she has drowned. Her parents don’t notice. She stays there as long as possible until she surfaces gasping for breath. They don’t notice that either. She then exits the pool and throws her father’s macbook into the pool: this he notices.”
Waterbirth Scene
Luca’s mother gives birth at home to stream, using waterbirth for marketing.
“Luca’s mother gives birth at home, so they can live stream it (of course). She opts for a waterbirth, so they can do an endorsement and marketing for the birth pool manufacturer (of course).”
Newborn Reaction
Mother’s designer makeup melts as she grins at camera, ignoring newborn baby.
“Once the baby is born, Luca’s mother briefly looks down at it, then grins maniacally at the camera, with her designer makeup smudged and melted all over her face like some sort of horror mask.”
Final Escape
Luca buries phone in ground and leaves with baby, parents unaware.
“The film ends with Luca burying her phone in the ground, a symbolic death, and then disappearing into the night with the baby strapped to her chest.”
The essence
Heather Burns argues UK's online safety legislation should not be guided by influencers who exploit children for marketing revenue.
