AI Influencers, A Growing Trend: What Parents, Caregivers, and Educators Need To Know
- The White Hatter
- 53 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Over the past few years, a new type of online creator has quietly moved into youth and teen feeds. They look real, they sound real, and they post like real people. However, they are not human, they are AI influencers. Two great examples include Aitana Lopez (1) and Mia and Ana Zelu (2). In 2025, it was estimated that the AI influencer industry was worth about 7 billion dollars, and it is expected that by 2030, it will be a 45 billion dollar industry (3)(4).
For many parents and caregivers, this feels like yet another shift, something we are calling “social AI”, in an already complex onlife world. The goal is not to panic, it’s to understand what is happening, why it is happening, and what it means for our kids.
An AI influencer is a digitally created character that posts content online just like a human creator would. Some are fully computer generated avatars. Others use AI generated video and voice tools to create lifelike content without a real person ever appearing on camera.
These accounts can:
Post videos
Share lifestyle content
Promote products
Offer advice
Create educational material
Tell stories
In many cases, unless it is clearly disclosed, it can be difficult to tell they are not real.
So why are AI influencers becoming more Common? There are practical reasons for this shift such as AI creators:
Never age
Never argue
Never demand creative control
Never take sick days
Are far cheaper than hiring a human
Can produce studio-quality content that would be financially out of reach for many small creators
From a business standpoint, this model offers significant advantages. Brands maintain full control over the message and tone. There is no concern about a spokesperson improvising in ways that create backlash. There are no negotiations over creative differences, and no delays caused by availability or scheduling challenges. The result? Highly polished, consistent content at a fraction of the cost. That does not automatically make it wrong, it simply explains why it is happening.
So does being AI make the content untrustworthy? The truthful answer is, not necessarily. Anyone can deliver information online. A creator can post slides, infographics, or text only content with no face attached. That doesn’t make the information automatically wrong or automatically correct. However, the same is true in reverse. A real person speaking directly to a camera does not make the information factual, it just makes it feel more personal.
In theory, an AI creator could produce some of the most evidence based content online if it is prompted to rely on credible sources. The challenge has never been whether something has a face attached. The challenge has always been discernment. This is not entirely new, it’s simply another layer added to the digital environment your children are already navigating.
Where this becomes more complicated is when AI use is not clearly disclosed. If a digital character is presented as a real human without transparency, that crosses into something different and can feel disingenuous. For some young people, it may even feel deceptive or violating if they later discover that a creator they connected with was never real.
There is an emotional dimension here that deserves attention. Young people often form one sided connections with online creators. They can grow attached, share personal thoughts in comment sections, and feel genuinely understood. If they later discover that the person they connected with was never real and that this was not clearly disclosed, it can leave them feeling misled, embarrassed, or even betrayed. This is why we believe that clear disclosure matters.
Some AI influencers do openly state that they are virtual. Others are less obvious, especially once content gets reposted and shared outside the original account. A video that began with a disclaimer can quickly lose that context when clipped and redistributed and that’s where things get murky.
There is a strong argument that can be made for clear labeling standards. If an image, video, or personality is AI generated, that should be obvious to viewers, because transparency protects trust. The reality, though, is that regulation often moves slower than technology. In the meantime, the responsibility falls heavily on platforms, creators, and yes, families.
So, will young people care if the influencer is AI? For a generation growing up alongside AI tools, the distinction between human and artificial intelligence may not carry the same emotional weight it does for adults. If the content is entertaining, relatable, or useful, they may simply accept it. That does not mean there are no consequences, it just means the social norms are shifting.
The larger question is whether heavy reliance on artificial personalities could deepen a sense of disconnection in some young people. If more social interaction becomes simulated rather than human, what does that mean long term? We do not yet have clear answers to that question. What we do know is that human relationships involve negotiation, disagreement, imperfection, and compromise. AI personalities can be programmed to be endlessly agreeable and perfectly aligned with the audience, something that we spoke about in another article when it comes to companionship apps (5).
So, now that you know a little more about this new trend, what can parents and caregiver do? Here are some of our thoughts here at the White Hatter:
Ask Questions
Start with curiosity. When your child shows you a creator they like, ask simple, open ended questions:
“How do you know that account is real?”
“Does it say anywhere if it’s AI generated?”
The goal is not to catch them off guard, it’s to help them slow down and think. Many youth and teens have never stopped to consider that some influencers are artificial. By asking calm, reflective questions, you help them build that awareness on their own. Over time, this kind of questioning becomes internal. They begin to ask themselves before believing, sharing, or emotionally investing.
Talk About Authenticity
Have a conversation about why disclosure matters. Not in a dramatic or fear based way, but in a grounded and thoughtful one.
Explain that using AI is not automatically wrong, the issue is transparency. If someone is using a digital avatar or AI generated persona, viewers deserve to know. Trust online, just like offline, depends on honesty.
You can frame it this way; if a company hires a spokesperson, they disclose that it is an advertisement. If someone edits a photo heavily, we often expect some acknowledgment. The same principle applies here. Authenticity is less about whether someone is human and more about whether they are being truthful about who or what they are.
Teach Digital Discernment
Remind your child that the presence of a face does not equal credibility. A real human on camera can spread misinformation just as easily as a digital avatar can. Likewise, an AI generated account could theoretically share accurate, well-sourced information.
Help your child ask practical questions:
Where does this information come from?
Are credible sources mentioned?
Is this opinion, entertainment, or fact-based content?
Does it link to research or evidence?
Discernment and critical thinking is a skill which is built over time. Encourage your child to evaluate content based on substance rather than style. Polished production and emotional delivery are not proof of truth.
Normalize Curiosity
Create an environment where it is completely acceptable to say, “I’m not sure if that’s real.”
That simple sentence is powerful. It removes shame from uncertainty, and it keeps the door open for learning. In an onlife world that moves quickly, pausing to question something is a strength, not a weakness.
When youth and teens feel safe admitting uncertainty, they are less likely to double down defensively when new information comes to light. Curiosity protects them far more than pretending certainty ever could.
Model Skepticism Without Cynicism
Children learn far more from what we as parents, caregivers, and educators model than what we lecture.
If we respond to every new technology with outrage or blanket distrust, they will either tune us out or adopt the same rigid mindset. On the other hand, if we accept everything at face value, they may do the same. Balanced skepticism means saying, “Let’s look into that,” rather than, “That’s fake,” or, “That must be true.”
The goal is not to teach our kids to distrust everything online, it’s to teach them to think critically about what they are reading, hearing, and seeing in today’s onlife world. Thoughtful evaluation builds confidence, and cynicism builds withdrawal - there is a difference.
In a world where AI influencers are becoming more common, the most protective thing we can give our children is not fear, it’s the ability to pause, question, and decide with intention.
AI influencers are not going away, and like many technological shifts before them, they will become normalized. The key issue is not their existence, it’s transparency. A digital character openly identified as AI is very different from one presented as human without disclosure. Trust depends on honesty!
For parents, caregivers, and educators, this is simply one more reminder that the onlife world continues to evolve. Our role is not to chase every new development with fear, it’s to build adaptable, curious, and critically thinking youth and teens who can navigate complexity with confidence. The technology will keep changing. However, our commitment to raising thoughtful, discerning youth and teens does not have to.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
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