Parent influencers in France make a living by blogging about family trips

The Cordier family takes pretty cool holidays — cycling in Barcelona, sand dune tobogganing in Brazil — thanks, says the mother, Stéphanie Cordier, to her blog “Familleetvoyages” (“Family and Journeys”) and her posts on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

“I’ve set up partnerships that allow me to have more content,” said Cordier, speaking in French. “So, I’ll approach tourist offices or activity providers to see what they will exchange for a mention on my blog if I like the service they provide.”

She’s just one of many parent influencers.

The French Parliament has taken up a measure that would give courts the power to ban parents from posting photos of their kids online. This comes as a poll just published in France shows that for thousands of parents, sharing their lives with their children on social media has become a serious, sometimes even very large, source of income.

Guillaume Doki-Thonon, co-founder of an influence and marketing company called Reech that analyzes data it receives from platforms like TikTok and Instagram, said France has 4,000 parent influencers, and their number of hits rose 22% last year.

“There are lots of parents advising to buy this or this product because it has been useful for them,” Doki-Thonon said. “And, as influencer marketing is actually the next-generation word of mouth, it’s normal that it’s increasing.”

But some warn of dangers. Thomas Rohmer, president of the citizens’ group called the Observatory of Parenthood and Digital Education, just commissioned a poll about parent influencers.

“Some children are quite aware of the fact that they contribute to the family finances, which can be a weight to bear,” Rohmer said. The poll Rohmer’s group commissioned shows that for about half of France’s parent influencers, social media revenue has become their only income, while 4% have hit the jackpot, making over $50,000 a month.