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The internet doesn’t just “share” your child. It archives them, copies them, and can weaponize them.

We’re joined by journalist Fortesa, author of Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online, to talk about what happens when parenting becomes a content pipeline. We get into the uncomfortable stuff creators rarely say out loud: why brands pressure parents to “show the kids,” how followers feel entitled to a family’s private life, and why the algorithm often rewards the most vulnerable moments. If you’ve ever wondered whether posting a sick kid, a tantrum, or a hospital scare crosses a line, this conversation will give you language for what your gut already knows.

We also dig into the bigger system around family vlogging and influencer marketing: FTC disclosure incentives, hidden sponsorship dynamics, and why child labor laws still don’t cleanly apply to kids working on camera at home. Fortesa explains how a patchwork of state laws is trying to catch up, and we talk about newer threats like AI deepfakes and broad “usage rights” that can let brands reuse a creator’s likeness indefinitely, raising serious questions about consent and long-term digital privacy for minors.

And because real life is always in the room, we go personal too: emergency C-section recovery, building a parenting village, and hyperemesis gravidarum, including emerging research on metformin that may offer hope for future pregnancies.

If this hit home, subscribe, share with a parent group chat, and leave a review so more families can find it. What’s your boundary on posting kids online?

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