“Can my child be a model” and platformized childhood: a critical discourse analysis of moral panic over child modeling on social media

This article examines how discussions of child modeling are framed on Chinese social media and under what conditions they exhibit features associated with moral panic. Drawing on critical discourse analysis of 518 posts and 3,416 comments on Xiaohongshu , the study identifies concerns such as threats to childhood ideals, maternal stigma, and aesthetic coercion, showing how these create platformized panic. The study highlights user roles (followers, critics, and parodists) and discusses how attention shifts from structural regulation to individualized judgment, offering actionable recommendations for platform measures and industry regulation to protect children’s rights in digital economies.