Mom Calls Out Clothing Brand For Using Photos Of Her 16-Year-Old Daughter To Promote Their Products Without Permission
She claimed the brand refused to pay her daughter for the use of her photos on their site, and instead, posted them without her consent.
TikTok A mother is criticizing a clothing brand after her teenage daughter's photos were used on their site without any compensation.
In a video, TikTok user Michelle Fairburn called out the brand Emmiol for posting photos of her daughter, Amoi, who is a 16-year-old social media influencer, on their Instagram account as an ad, despite Michelle having denied their ability to use her child's photos in the first place.
She claimed the clothing brand posted an ad of her daughter in their clothes without her consent.
"A very popular clothing brand is taking advantage of my 16-year-old daughter and I am absolutely livid," Michelle began in her video, explaining that she and her daughter had been in the car when suddenly she had gotten a text from her friend saying she had appeared in a paid ad for the clothing brand.
A few weeks prior, Michelle's daughter, who is a content creator on TikTok, reached out to Emmiol to ask for free products in exchange for creating a video for them on her own account. "She posted a TikTok, it went extremely viral, they reached out and asked if they could use it on their website."
However, Michelle immediately denied the company's request to use her daughter on their site. She told her daughter to respond and ask for a "$1 amount" if they wanted to use her video as an ad for their brand. "Why should they be able to use it for free? That is absolutely insane!" Michelle pointed out.
After her daughter reached out to the brand twice, they didn't respond. At first, Michelle thought that was the end of that, but was flabbergasted after learning that the site had gone ahead without her consent and created an ad using her daughter's video.
"They are running paid [Instagram] ads," Michelle continued. "I would love to know what legal action I can take here because this is predatory."
Michelle explained that this same incident happened to her daughter in the past.
A year ago, Michelle said that a stock investing company for teenagers had reached out to her daughter about her doing a paid advertisement for them. "They wanted to pay her $50," Michelle said, which she thought was absurd.
When she looked into the company, though, she noticed that they were only reaching out to girls that "posted promiscuous content or had large chests" while also being minors. "This is so predatory," Michele reiterated.
"Please share this with anyone that can help me because I am so livid. This is taking advantage of minors on social media and God forbid other kids out there are just allowing this to happen because they think it's cool," she remarked.
In the comments section, many people encouraged Michelle to take legal action. "You have commercial use rights of your own image that they’re profiting off. Make sure you screen record evidence!!!" one TikTok user suggested.
Another user added, "Two things: contact a lawyer. But in the meantime, send a note [to] their PR dept... reference the correspondence where [you] said no to using the piece on their website, etc. A little scare tactic sometimes will light a fire. Find out how long these paid ads have been running."
Unfortunately, this is the reality for many underage children who are social media influencers. As influencers and content creators, teenagers often share personal information, including their daily routines, locations, and intimate details of their lives.
This can compromise their privacy and potentially make them targets for online predators or unwanted attention, putting their safety at risk. Of course, not all teenage influencers will experience these negative effects, especially if they have an adult in their corner who can advocate for them like Michelle is doing for her daughter.
It's still extremely crucial for teenagers, their parents, and society at large to be aware of the potential risks and take appropriate measures to mitigate them.
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.