HUDSONVILLE, Mich.-- From Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, to Snapchat, it's really no secret it's a digital world, one in which your fingerprint is just as important as your online presence. It's no wonder kids are starting their social media debut from a very young age.
Zoe McCallum, 9, is a prime example of a generation totally gone digital. She started choreographing Dubsmash videos with her brother at age 6, and now scripts, films, and uploads her own YouTube videos.
Her parents, Katie and Earnest, said the computer and smart phone, anything with a camera really, is an extension of their daughter. Zoe films things from playful challenges that end with a loser getting a water balloon popper over their head, to making her favorite smoothie, or just introducing their newest house pet.
Zoe is chronicling her life in the most creative way she knows how, and sharing it with anyone who wants to watch. She's not the first to play out this concept, and definitely not the last. Amanda Steel, a YouTube star that started at only 10 years old with makeup tutorials, now is 16 with over 2 million subscribers and launching her own makeup line. A digital life can lead to a life-long career for some.
For now, Zoe tells FOX 17 this is just a fun hobby. Her parents said they are 100 percent behind her expressing herself and her creativity in whatever form she prefers.
"Ultimately what I want them to do is to get to know themselves, and get them to understand who they are and what they like to do," said Katie McCallum.
While Katie and Earnest do give Zoe space and privacy to create her videos, they do monitor and keep an eye out for what she does. They are all for her online film career as long as it stays safe. They say Zoe has loved to perform since she could talk, whether it was dancing, singing or lip syncing.
"I like that she feels empowered enough to go for it. It's just an evolution of her performing," said Katie.
So for Zoe, like so many other kids that have the internet and smart phones at their fingertips connecting to the world whenever they please, this may be just the beginning.
Zoe's Youtube Channel is called Fuzzy Fun.
