Attention Economy

This study aims to analyze the discourse of children's identity representation on their parents’ Instagram pages. Focusing on the concept of virtual child labor and using Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis approach, the research qualitatively examines six Persian-language Instagram accounts that prominently feature children, have a high follower count, include promotional content, and display performative narratives. The findings indicate that children are portrayed as instruments for attracting attention, advertising products, and reinforcing their parents’ social status. The linguistic and visual structures of these representations are shaped by discourses such as visual consumerism, apparent agency, performative parenting, and the commodification of childhood. As a result, children’s presence in these digital spaces is less a reflection of their lived experiences and agency, and more a reproduction of dominant discourses within the digital economy. These representations highlight a new form of child labor in virtual environments, calling for serious reconsideration in media policy and legal protection of children.