Rachel Goh, Author at Goody Feed

With the rise of YouTube and other social media platforms, many kids dream of becoming the next Pewdiepie. However, Mediacorp actress Zoe Tay is against her son becoming an influencer. Here’s why. Zoe Tay is Against the Idea of Her Son Becoming an Influencer Zoe revealed her opinions on the issue in a recent episode of The Zoe and Liang Show, which she co-hosts with Guo Liang. The episode, titled “Should parents support their children’s dreams?” focuses on the the thoughts of Zoe, Guo Liang, local actor Shaun Chen and singer-actress JJ Neo regarding this issue. At around the 15-minute mark, Guo Liang asks if the rest would support their children becoming influencers. Zoe said, “It drives me crazy.” Image: YouTube (@Entertainment - Mediacorp) She noted that becoming an influencer is a dream that every kid will probably have at one point. She added, “Kids are strange these days. They have a handphone and a computer and will go on and on about how much influencers earn.” “I’m like, ‘Do you know how many influencers there are, but only very few make money?’” She also noticed the children of her peers having similar aspirations, with some kids considering being an influencer their “dream job”. Zoe has three teenage sons aged 11, 15 and 17. She revealed that one of them even asked her if she would let him leave school. She said that her son questioned the utility of some things he was learning in school. “He once analysed it for me. ‘In today’s society, do I need to study algebra? I only need to know how to count money. The purchase price, how much to pay, how to calculate that; Those are simple, and I can already do it.’” She also mentioned that she would never allow her children to quit their studies in pursuit of an influencer career. She said, “I think studying is a necessity.” Where Zoe’s Concerns Come From A household name in Singapore, Zoe is someone in the know of the trials and tribulations of being a public figure. After all, she’s been active in the media industry since 1988. With over 30 years of experience, she probably knows what she is talking about. Being a public figure is tough. A few weeks ago, a fake news website used Zoe’s name to lie about her retiring to sell a skincare product. She had to handle these shenanigans during a family holiday. Sounds stressful. Like many parents, she is also concerned about the instability of being an influencer. In June 2022, a user that goes by fancypeecy posted on the subreddit r/askSingapore to ask for advice on their kid. My daughter wants to be an influencer... How do you advice her against it? by u/fancypeecy in askSingapore The user explained that their child wanted to quit university to be an influencer. The user thus took to Reddit to ask for advice on dissuading her. Most comments shared the same sentiments as Zoe, advising the user’s daughter against quitting university due to the instability of an influencer career. Image: Reddit (r/askSingapore) Image: Reddit (r/askSingapore) Image: Reddit (r/askSingapore) Join our Telegram channel for more entertaining and informative articles at https://t.me/goodyfeedsg or follow us on Twitter : https://twitter.com/goodyfeed Netizens' Discussion Zoe’s opinions sparked a discussion in the comments of the episode. While some agreed with her, others shared their other views. One netizen wrote, “As a parent, I feel it is more important to engage a conversation with them than to shut them down. While Zoe is not wrong to say that not many make it as an influencer, it just sounded a little shallow.” Image: YouTube (@Entertainment - Mediacorp) “The right guidance is to uncover their talent for them.” Another netizen believes that kids of the current generation don’t listen to their parents when choosing a career. Image: YouTube (@Entertainment - Mediacorp) The netizen said, “I’ll try my best to let my child chase her dream and be her best support!” “The more you stop them from doing something, they will be more keen to step into that zone.”