There have been some dramatic changes in how we’ve used social media over the past few years. Content creators and influencers alike are increasingly making profits from their online platforms by promoting brands, sharing other businesses and, for some, by turning their family life into monetisable content.
According to a 2025 report from online media and analytics platform Influencer Marketing Hub, the global influencer marketing industry is now estimated to be worth $24 billion (€20.5 billion), with the UK market alone valued at £1.3 billion (€1.5 billion).
But how feasible is it for influencers and content creators in Ireland to solely rely on social media for their livelihood, and what are the consequences of sharing personal aspects of their lives to a global audience – particularly when it involves their children?
Clinical psychotherapist and relationships specialist Stephanie Regan says it can be psychologically damaging for parents to share images or videos of their children online, because it can create an identity around a child before they even get a chance to discover it themselves.
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“A lot of people may know about them almost before they know about themselves,” says the Dublin-based therapist, “and there’s some laid-down template then put in place before they begin their story.
“I think one has to be very careful and measured about it. Does the child know? That’s one factor I’ve spoken about before. Also, do you really have the permission to use your child, not in a formal sense, but are you actually using somebody else’s existence, if you like, in a way, because they are your child, and you’re using it and putting it out there in the media? Is that okay? I think there’s a little ethical question there to be answered too.”
When Cork woman Julie Haynes began sharing her family life on her Instagram platform (@twins_and_me) six years ago, her intention was not to make a profit from her children. She was a single mother who simply wanted to shed light on the realities of parenthood. “I remember looking at different influencers across Ireland, and they would have kids like my kids’ age as well, like newborns, and they would just sit down at eight o’clock with a glass of wine, saying their little baby was gone to sleep.
“I remember thinking, No, no, no, it’s not just like that, it’s not eight o’clock that kids are asleep. I wish it was like that, but I am walking up and down the stairs, rocking my babies to sleep, and some nights it might be a dream, but most nights it was three, four or five hours of rocking them to sleep, and I thought it’s important to share that as well.”
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The 36-year-old says her authenticity has earned her hundreds of thousands of followers over the years, and throughout her time sharing her personal life online, she has spoken openly about her struggles with motherhood, being denied a mortgage, and in December 2024, she shared an Instagram video about her experience using antidepressants – a video that garnered more than 765,000 views.
She says “people like the normality of my content” and she decided to take the plunge and become a full-time content creator in 2022. As of writing, Haynes has about 400,000 followers across her Instagram and TikTok accounts, where she promotes products and services from paid collaborations.
“I would do a lot of make-up, so I might work with make-up brands, and they’d send me a particular make-up product to try, and then I would share how I got on with that with my following,” she says, “and I could do clothing brands too or I might go away, like I did a cruise with my kids and I documented all that, so it’s just a bit of everything.”
However, making the decision to derive income solely from influencer marketing means Haynes doesn’t have a set pay cheque coming in every month. She admits the lack of financial stability is a big source of stress when it comes to covering the costs of sports and hobbies for her two seven-year-olds. “Because I’m self-employed, every month is different. I could have a really good month, and then I could slow down. So it’s up and down all the time, which is not very stable compared to somebody that’s on a salary.
“Being on my own with the two young kids, I’d nearly need about €1,000 a week because my rent alone is €1,800, and that’s before I even go down to Dunnes Stores. And my little girl is in Irish dancing, and her dresses alone are €3,000 a pop, so it’s expensive.”
Since relying solely on finances generated from social media is not always conducive to having financial stability in the long run, many influencers have used their platforms to create brands offline to supplement their income.
Donna Whelan, and her seven-year-old son Jacob Whelan, were catapulted to fame two years ago after sharing a funny video on TikTok that went viral.
The mother-son duo – who has a combined following of 3.8 million followers between Instagram (@donna_jacobs_mammy) and TikTok (@keepupwithjacob) – recently monetised their platform offline by releasing a book entitled, The World According to Jacob.
Another content creator who uses social media to help maintain a living beyond the platform is 34-year-old Carla Roberts. The baby massage therapist and children’s fitness instructor uses her Instagram account (@movewithcarla) to promote her in-person classes and children’s wellbeing.
“My content is centred around wellness, and since becoming a mum, mum life,” she says. “I mainly share insights from my classes, and sometimes reflections on parenting, but my hope is [for people] to take connections from my page or classes to create genuine human connection.”
Roberts started her Instagram account in December 2014 when she was living in Cape Town, South Africa. What started off as a platform to stay connected with friends and family, now promotes a strong message about the importance of social health.
“Social health, to me, is about our ability to build meaningful relationships, feel part of a community, and maintain healthy boundaries, both online and offline. In my work, I try to honour that through group classes and honest conversations. It’s just as important as physical or mental health and deeply impacts our overall wellbeing.”
The mother of two, who holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and a postgrad in therapeutic play skills, says her academic background grounded her with a foundation for understanding how people think, feel and connect. This is a principle that is consistently present in her online content and work.
While her primary income comes from running in-person classes, presenting and wellness events, she says Instagram plays a massive role in her work by helping people find her. “I don’t earn directly from Instagram, but I admire parent influencers who put in the time and creativity to build sustainable platforms. For me, being present with my children is a priority, and I try to limit phone time when I’m around them.”
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The wellness enthusiast, who posts very few photos of her children online, says while she respects that every parent has the right to do what they feel is fitting for their family, she is conscious of not using her children to generate engagement or income.
“I totally understand the instinct to share special moments, I feel it too – especially when it comes to my family and my kids, there are times I want to shout something from the rooftops.
“But I’ve also come to really appreciate the value of keeping certain moments just for us. There’s something beautiful about being fully present in those times, without the need to document or share them with the world.”
