Document Type : Research
Authors
1
PhD Candidate in Sociology, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
2
Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
3
Associate Professor of Demography, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
The expansion of social media platforms and the consolidation of “attention economy” in Iran have generated new forms of labor in which children increasingly serve as producers of attention and economic value. This transformation has blurred the conventional boundaries between childhood, play, and work, raising critical questions regarding children’s rights, agency, and the psychosocial consequences of digital visibility. This study explores the lived experiences of children active on social media and reconceptualizes digital child labor within the Iranian context of the attention economy. With a qualitative research design, the study employs digital ethnography and semi-structured interviews. Data were collected through systematic observation of social media accounts and 81 interviews with child content creators, parents, teachers, and experts. The analytical framework integrates attention economy theory as the core framework of study with actor–network theory, representation theory, and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings identified seven central themes: child marketing in digital environments, the construction of performative identity, the instrumentalization of childhood, emotional disconnection within the family, family brand management, legal gaps, and economic pressures. The results suggest that, within the logic of the attention economy, children’s bodies, emotions, and everyday lives are transformed into sources of attention generation and economic value, while hidden forms of child labor are reproduced under the guise of entertainment and play. Based on these findings, the development of legal frameworks specifically addressing child labor in digital environments, greater platform accountability, and enhanced parental media literacy are essential to preventing the normalization of the emotional and economic exploitation of children within the attention economy. Furthermore, institutional support and continuous monitoring of children’s digital activities should be placed on policymakers’ agendas.
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