14-year-old Valentina was well on her way to fulfilling the dream of most teens these days—she was becoming an online star. Going by the name Nina Rios, the Brazilian teen had 1.7 million followers on Instagram and TikTok. And then her mom, Fernanda Rocha Kanner, deleted her accounts.
Kanner defended her decision, the Daily Mail reports, even though most teens would flip the f-ck out and probably most adults, too. The kind of fame Valentina had is something lots of people are chasing in the hope it leads to money, opportunities, and brand deals.
But Kanner thought the whole thing was unhealthy and that being a mom’s job is “not to be your buddy.”
“I don’t think it’s healthy even for an adult and much less for a teenager to base her self-discovery on online feedback,” said Kanner. “It’s hard enough for you to find out who you are at 14 years old. When there are two million you’ve never seen in your life thinking they know you, it’s even more dangerous. It’s easier to lose yourself.”
The mom explained that she decided it was enough when she actually checked out her daughter’s feed and saw “30 identical selfies and little dances that anyone can do.” She said she didn’t want Valentina growing up “believing she’s this character.”
She added, “I don’t want her advertising flammable polyester clothing made in China. I don’t want my brilliant daughter doing her daily dances like a trained baboon. It’s a sad generation for which this counts as fame.”
Kanner has gotten a lot of pushback for being “controlling,” and Valentina has said of her mom’s decision, “I obviously wasn’t very happy. I got quite angry.”
But strangely enough, Valentina said she doesn’t think she’ll be returning to social media anytime soon. “It’s going to be something that’s only going to get in my way and it will only make it worse,” she said.
The spell is broken!