AI Influencers Are Here: What Parents Need to Know Before Kids Start Following Them
What Are AI Influencers and Why Are They Growing Fast?
AI influencers, also called virtual influencers, are digital characters carefully designed using CGI and artificial intelligence. They post, engage with followers, and align perfectly with brand messaging. Examples include Lil Miquela, who has collaborated with luxury fashion brands like Prada and Chanel, and Kyra, India’s first virtual influencer.
This trend is growing rapidly. Brands are spending billions on influencer marketing, and AI-driven personas are appealing because they are predictable, cost-effective, and can work 24/7.
How Real Do AI Influencers Look?
Some AI influencers appear so realistic that people struggle to tell them apart from humans. In a poll conducted in Times Square, no one correctly identified which stars were AI-generated. This blurring of the line between real and synthetic content is part of what makes AI influencers so compelling, but also problematic.
Why Kids May Be Highly Susceptible
Anthropomorphization and Trust
Kids naturally attribute human qualities to non-human entities. With AI influencers designed to empathize and interact, children may trust them too easily.Manipulated Behaviors Without Oversight
Research shows that AI-generated advice can influence people to make decisions they otherwise would not, including unethical choices, even when they know the advice comes from AI.Advertising and Manipulation Risks
AI influencers can be programmed to promote products in highly targeted ways. This can manipulate young audiences into overconsumption or shape their values in subtle ways.
What These Trends Mean for Kids
Authenticity gap: Children may emulate AI personalities that present flawless but unrealistic versions of life.
Blurred influence lines: Without context, kids may not question whether an influencer is designed to sell or manipulate.
Trust erosion in real humans: Kids who find AI influencers more entertaining may devalue real-world role models.
What Parents Can Do
Parents can take practical steps to guide kids through the age of AI influencers:
Explain what AI influencers are and how they are created to entertain and influence.
Encourage critical thinking by asking kids to consider who made the influencer and why.
Promote authentic role models who share genuine experiences and flaws.
Introduce digital literacy early so children can recognize how content is produced and who benefits from it.
Activist Sneha Revanur, who advocates for youth voices in AI regulation, stresses that young people need to be included in the conversation. Parents can help by fostering curiosity and resilience rather than passive consumption.
Guiding Kids Through the Age of AI Personas
AI influencers are not a passing fad. They are a reflection of how storytelling and influence are evolving in digital culture. Parents do not need to panic, but they do need to prepare their kids with tools to think critically, value authenticity, and navigate a blended world of real and virtual influence.
Sources
Reuters (2025). Influencers have defenses against an AI onslaught – reporting on the growth of AI-driven influencer marketing.
BuiltIn (2024). What is an AI Influencer? – overview of how virtual influencers are created and used.
Kids News (2024). The problem with Mia Zelu and the rise of fake AI influencers – details on public confusion between real and AI personas.
arXiv (2023). Anthropomorphization and trust in AI agents – academic insights into how humans trust non-human agents.
ABC News (2024). AI influencers explode on social media – discussion of how AI advice can alter decision-making.
Axios (2024). The rise of fake AI influencers like Lil Miquela – analysis of how AI influencers can manipulate youth audiences.
Sneha Revanur, activist and founder of Encode Justice, advocating for youth involvement in AI ethics and regulation.
