A new Instagram trend has taken brands around the world by storm
A new trend featuring children’s selfies is rapidly gaining popularity on social media. Dozens of well-known brands in various countries, including Ukraine, have already jumped on the bandwagon. It all started with a random post that they decided not to delete.
Instagram feeds have been flooded with unusual photos in recent days. Large companies, stores, publishers, banks, and even car brands have started posting blurry children’s selfies taken with the front-facing camera. Under most of these posts, you can see a random set of letters, numbers, or symbols. This flash mob has been dubbed the “child selfie trend.” It has already spread far beyond the borders of a single country, and new brands continue to join in. It all started with the Saudi clothing brand Sahaba Abaya.
According to the authors of the article, the company owner’s child accidentally gained access to the brand’s official Instagram page. The boy took a selfie with the front-facing camera and posted it along with a random set of characters. Company management decided not to delete the post. On the contrary—it quickly gained popularity and went viral.
It was after this that other brands began to replicate the idea. They deliberately post similar photos of children without professional editing, leaving captions consisting of random letters or numbers to recreate the atmosphere of the original post. The flash mob quickly spread beyond the Middle East. It was supported by well-known international companies, including the Porsche Center in Dubai and BMW’s official account in Qatar. The trend soon reached Ukraine as well.
Major Ukrainian publishing houses have already joined in. Among them are Vivat, “Family Leisure Club” (KSD), and “Old Lion Publishing House.” On their pages, they also posted children’s selfies with minimalist or chaotic captions. Major Ukrainian companies didn’t stay on the sidelines either. Similar posts appeared on the accounts of “Epicenter,” ALLO, Comfy, “Aurora,” and PUMB Bank.
Representatives of the Ukrainian fashion and beauty industries also supported the flash mob. Brands such as Cher’17, Fashionista, and DiaDia joined in, as did cosmetics companies Zola, Hillary, and Aweskin. The team behind the Atlas Weekend music festival also published a separate post as part of the trend.
The flash mob’s popularity is attributed to its uniqueness and simplicity. In a feed where most brands showcase professional photos, ad campaigns, and carefully curated posts, a casual kids’ selfie comes as a surprise and immediately grabs attention. That’s why more and more companies are using this format to join the trend and make their pages more lively and noticeable to their audience.
