Full list of Queensland’s youngest social media stars you should be following

Siblings Frankie and Ollie are part of a rising tribe of famous Instagram and TikTok child stars and their mum says it’s not only lucrative, it’s teaching them life lessons. SEE THE FULL LIST

From selling clothes to promoting toys, kid influencers are becoming big business on social media with the potential to earn thousands of dollars per campaign.

The global influencer marketing industry is now worth a whopping $32.5 billion, with that figure growing annually as more brands turn to social media stars to spruik their wares.

Behind much of the growth are children, with TikTok reporting more than one in four (27.46 per cent) content creators are under the age of 17; while a quarter of the estimated 834 million users of the platform are aged 10-19.

Gold Coast-based siblings and dancers Frankie, 11, and Ollie, 14, McAuliffe have amassed 40,000 and 29,000 fans, respectively, on Instagram with their personal accounts operated by mum Jodie.

The accounts originally began as a way for the brother and sister to showcase their dance journeys, but soon led to brand collaborations and ambassador roles with companies including Chupa Chups, Bloch, Bondi Boost and Aldi.

“It’s been a good way for the kids to learn those early work values,” Mrs McAuliffe said.

“It’s like, ‘You don’t just get the product and get to keep it, you agreed to do work for the product, so let’s take some photos’. They love it.”

She said the kids had earned up to $400 for a post, but most jobs were in exchange for product.

“They always have a say in what is posted and what’s not. I would never post anything that I think would cross any boundaries or ever come back to haunt them,” she said.

But experts say parents need to be aware of the risks of social media for children and take steps to keep their kids safe.

READ THE FULL STORY BELOW.

Meet the Queensland kids that are taking social media by storm.

Frankie McAuliffe

@frankie.the.little.dancer

Dancer and Instagram influencer Frankie McAuliffe.

This 11-year-old Gold Coast dancer first started on social media when she was still in nappies on her mum Jodie’s account @a.handful.of.love. But when her dancing antics took up too much space on Jodie’s feed, mum created a new account to showcase her daughter’s artist prowess and so @frankie.the.little.dancer was born. The dance community quickly fell in love with the talented performer and she has now attracted more than 40,000 followers and brand deals with businesses such as Bloch, Chupa Chups, Bondi Boost and Aldi.

Ollie McAuliffe

@ollie.the.dancer

Gold Coast dancer Ollie McAuliffe.

Brother to Frankie McAuliffe, 14-year-old Ollie is a successful dancer in his own right and social media star pulling in more than 29,000 followers – mostly other young dancers from around the world. He has been an ambassador for dance brand Bloch and mental health charity Beyond Blue.

Deja Clark

@deja_clarkk

Teen influencer Deja Clark.

The 13-year-old daughter of hugely popular Gold Coast TikTok star and influencer Kat Clark, is following in her mum’s footsteps with 1.1 million followers on Instagram. She first came to fame on her mother’s account, which has 6.1 million fans, with the family sharing their crazy life. Now Deja has found her own fanbase thanks to videos on everything from clothing hauls and dancing to founding her own skincare company, Kalade, with her mum and older sister Latisha.

Halo-Bee and Honey

@yumika_thorne_

Halo-Bee and Honey have over a million followers on social media under the account @yumika_thorne_

These adorable Gold Coast sisters have amassed a whopping 961,700 followers on TikTok and another 181,000 on Instagram with their super cute videos of sibling bonding. Whether it’s hanging out in the park, cooking at home or going down to the beach, they’re love for each other has melted hearts and earned them a bucketload of paid partnerships. They have collaborated with everything from fashion and clothing brands to appliances, baby food, pool accessories and cameras.

Amber Geritz

@ambers.vl0gz

Sunshine Coast teenager Amber Geritz has 656,800 followers on TikTok.

This Sunshine Coast teenager has become a social media celebrity with 656,800 followers on TikTok and more than 7000 subscribers on YouTube. Drawing them in are her candid “get ready with me” videos and beauty content where she tries out new skincare and beauty products. She’s worked with brands such as Temu, Sephora and Saie Beauty.

Ava Oetting

@ava_oetting2

Ava Oetting, 16, has 476,000 followers on TikTok.

The 16-year-old identical twin from the Gold Coast is like almost every other teenage girl in Queensland, except documenting her life has scored her an incredible 476,000 followers on TikTok. Fans are obsessed with watching her get ready with me videos and outfit inspiration, which has led to collaborations with brands such as GHD, City Beach, Hello Molly, Thursday Plantation and more.

Laila Oetting

@laila_oetting

Twin Laila Oetting has more than 327,000 followers on TikTok.

Ava’s identical sister Laila is also huge on TikTok with more than 327,000 followers. Like her sibling, she regularly posts about fashion, beauty and hanging out with friends, scoring deals with brands such as Pretty Little Thing, MCoBeauty and City Beach. The twins have also recently started a YouTube channel, which has attracted more than 7000 subscribers with just two videos.

Nicola Crisa

@nicola.crisa

Gold Coast 16-year-old Nicola Crisa has over 300,000 followers on social media.

Named in the Top 100 social media creators in Australia in 2022, this 16-year-old dancer, model and actor from the Gold Coast has a following of 312,000 on Instagram and 19,000 on TikTok. Her feed is a highly edited assemblage of modelling images, showing her work with labels such as Victoria’s Secret, Gym Shark and Be Kind Co.

Lolly May

@reneeemay

Three-year-old Lolly May has more than a quarter of a million followers under mum's Instagram Renee May.

While her content is now under her mum Renee’s account, this gorgeous three-year-old is a social media superstar with 267,000 followers on Instagram. Her big cheeks and green eyes led to dozens of endorsement deals for everything from seaside resorts and furniture companies to baby accessories. She now even has an eponymous bub and children’s fashion label, which has 62,000 Instagram followers.

Madi Cousens

@madi.cousenss

Brisbane-based content creator Madi Cousens has 245,000 followers on Instagram.

The Brisbane-based content creator is an entrepreneur in the making, working with a long line-up of beauty, fashion, activewear and accessories brands including Homebodii, Essano, City Beach and Glitter Girls. She has 245,000 followers on Instagram and is managed by Neon Mgmt.

Lilah Marie

@lilah_.marie

Gold Coast Year 7 student Lilah Marie.

This Gold Coast Year 7 student declares herself a “teen skincare lover”, content creator and influencer with 103,000 followers on Instagram. Despite her age, the 13-year-old’s feed is mostly made up of trials of beauty products, working with brands such as MCoBeauty, Alya Skin and Kalade. She also occasionally represents fashion and jewellery brands.

Piper Seymour

@pipersienna

Piper Seymour, 10, has an Instagram following of almost 50,000.

The 10-year-old lifestyle influencer has been on social media since she was just six months old. With almost a decade in the business and close to 50,000 followers, she has worked on hundreds of campaigns for everything from travel to food and fashion with companies such as Disney Cruises, Mayella Organics, Piping Hot Australia and Big W, earning up to $550 per post.

Ava Maris

@ava.marisss

Ava Maris is a 15-year-old TikToker with more than 44,000 followers.

From lip-synching in her kitchen to dancing with her friends, this 15-year-old’s TikTok account has scored her more than 44,000 followers. She regularly works with local and overseas fashion brands such as Beginning Boutique, City Beach, White Fox and Edikted.

Maddi Legassick

@maddi.legassick

Teenager Maddi Legassick rose to fame on social media with her backwards 3-pointer.

The 15-year-old Queenslander rocketed to fame on TikTok with her incredible backwards basketball 3-pointer. Now boasting more than 37,000 followers, she’s scored partnerships with the likes of Hismile, City Beach and Growth Bomb.

Olivia Scott

@livscott

Twin Olivia Scott has 34,500 followers on TikTok.

The 16-year-old identical twin from the Gold Coast shows her 34,500 followers on TikTok all facets of her life from shopping with friends to hanging out at the beach and outfit hauls. She has worked with brands such as City Beach, White Fox and MCoBeauty.

Alana Scott

@alanscott_

Twin Alana Scott, 16, has 32,000 followers on TikTok.

The 16-year-old identical twin sister of Olivia Scott is just a shade behind her sibling with 32,000 followers on TikTok. She, too, has worked with brands such as City Beach, White Fox and MCoBeauty, with the pair regularly appearing on each other’s accounts.

Millie Murtagh

@millie_valentine

Millie Murtagh is a social media star and daughter of Gold Coast radio personality Emily Jade O’Keeffe.

The daughter of Gold Coast radio star Emily Jade O’Keeffe is carving out her own career in the spotlight with 25,500 followers on Instagram. The pint-sized model, actor and dancer’s feed is filled with everything from dance videos to shopping expeditions and hanging out with friends and family. She’s worked with brands such as Every Turn and MCoBeauty.

The Tanna Family

@tanna__tribe

The Tanna Tribe with mum Candice, dad, Patrick and kids Kyjuan, 16, Dia-Shaun, 13, Mahiya, 7, and Zendaya, 5.

Featuring mum Candice Tanna, her husband Patrick, and four kids Kyjuan, 16, Dia-Shaun, 13, Mahiya, 7, and Zendaya, 5, this central Queensland family has a huge 187,000 followers on Instagram and 60,900 more on TikTok. The clan posts about their daily lives and has completed countless brand collaborations with the likes of P&O cruises, Hyundai, Cancer Council, Coles Express and Dinnerly. They have even made six figures annually from their endorsement deals.

BIG BUSINESS OF CHILD INFLUENCERS

Being an influencer has become seriously big business, with the global market now worth a whopping $32.5 billion.

Children are now behind a growing portion of that, with a quarter of the estimated 834 million users on TikTok aged 10-19, while 58 per of Australian children watch YouTube and 38 per cent of kids globally use Facebook.

With such a huge proportion of kids on social platforms, it’s no surprise brands are desperate to tap into the under 18 influencer market.

“It’s huge business. It’s opened up opportunities for PR companies. It’s changed the way they do business and I think it’s a really interesting progression for the fashion and advertising industry because you’re getting a consumer view or perception of something before you consider purchasing it, which is kind of a good thing,” said Jodie Bache-McLean, managing director of Chic Talent Brisbane, which has a burgeoning content creation division.

Mrs Bache-McLean said the key to being a successful influencer was less about the number of followers and more about the engagement with them, with brands chasing content creators with minimum 30-40 per cent engagement on their accounts.

“People felt for a while that your financial worth was based on how many followers you had but it’s actually based on your engagement and how many people react to the story or the post,” she said.

Gold Coast-based siblings and dancers Frankie, 11, and Ollie, 14, McAuliffe have amassed 40,000 and 29,000 fans. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“Advertising agencies and brands are looking for digital content creators who have an authentic, targeted following and that there’s analytics to prove the demographic, the location, the engagement.”

Some of the world’s biggest social media influencers can earn millions of dollars per year, with YouTube influencers earning from $485 to about $6000 per video, plus roughly 76c per 1000 video views and $27 per 1000 ad views.

Central Queensland mother-of-four Candice Tanna runs family account Tanna Tribe, which has 187,000 followers on Instagram and 60,900 on TikTok with almost daily posts featuring herself, husband Patrick and kids Kyjuan, 16, Dia-Shaun, 13, Mahiya, 7, and Zendaya 5.

The clan has done paid collaborations with countless brands from P&O cruises to Hyundai and even the Cancer Council, with their work earning the family so much money Ms Tanna has been able to give up her three jobs and make influencing a full-time career.

“It’s been a real blessing being able to stay home and contribute to the finances of the family and do something that I really love,” said the 37-year-old, who first started influencing after photos of baby daughter on Facebook drew the attention of a clothing brand which wanted to work with her on content creation.

While she won’t reveal exactly how much the family earns from social media, she said she made six figures in 2022 across everything from toy ads to clothing campaigns.

“There’s not many situations where the boys have had to do something that they felt uncomfortable with, and if they have, they’ve kind of pushed through and gone, ‘This is good money’, because they get paid,” Mrs Tanna said.

“I pay them because my kids are putting the work in. I give them a bit of a wage to go to buying a car or whatever.

“They like it and if they’re having a bad day, we just don’t push it. We pick it up at another time or completely change it so they’re comfortable.”

But child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said parents should exercise caution around social media, with children possibly at risk of mental health issues if they began needing “likes” for validation.

“The psychological issues that come with that are anxiety, depression and self harm and possible suicidal ideation,” said Dr Carr-Gregg.

eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant also warned of potential pitfalls for child influencers.

“Images can often travel further than we want or realise, and we need to ensure we aren’t putting children in harm’s way,” she said, with sexual exploitation of children a major concern.

Ms Inman Grant said parents of child influencers needed to educate themselves on privacy settings, photo consent, managing digital footprints and understanding social media pressures to make sure their kids were kept safe.

Originally published as Full list of Queensland’s youngest social media stars you should be following