Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
“On Monday and Tuesday, Leika shoots gaming videos. Then, Leika has gymnastics at 3 p.m. Wednesdays are for content shoots and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are Leika's vlogging shoots. Sunday is a holiday so I can take horse riding lessons,” Leika Garudita told us in an online interview, referring to herself in the third person, as is her signature.
She does all this while attending the third grade at a private school in Sleman, Yogyakarta. Besides gymnastics and horseback riding, Leika also takes dance and singing lessons.
In just a few minutes of hearing her talk about her packed schedule, the image of the cute little girl as depicted in her online videos has been replaced by a diligent girl who is wise beyond her 9 years.
Having amassed more than 10 million subscribers on YouTube, 700,000 followers on TikTok and 344,000 followers on Instagram, Leika is one of the most recognizable faces in Indonesia’s social media landscape.
A video of her playing hide and seek in a play area has been watched more than 57 million times. A video of her roleplaying as a baby with her parents has 40 million views, while a video of her 7th birthday party video has 35 million views.
She ranks among Indonesia’s leading “kidfluencers” like Gempita Nora Marten, also 9, who has several commercials and talk show appearances under her belt, and 3-year-old Rayyanza “Aza” Malik Ahmad, popularly depicted online as the animated Cipung Abubu, whose parents manage 4 million followers on his Instagram account.
They are all influencers, able to sway the opinion of millions with just one upload. But unlike Gempita and Rayyanza, who gained popularity on the coattails of their celebrity parents, Leika has forged her own path to digital stardom.
First 200 followers
With the help of her parents, Leika started vlogging at age 3, but it wasn’t until she reached 5 in 2020 that her life changed.
Because of the pandemic restrictions that year, her parents, Diena Fitri and Ilman Hidayat, were unable to continue their trade as roadside coffee vendors or take on any of their usual freelance work for commercials. That prompted her parents to start learning how to monetize YouTube videos.
After all, they had already been posting Leika’s vlogs regularly.
By then, Leika had been teaching herself how to skate for about a year and a half, recording her progress on video. In June 2020, she decided to join a roller skating club and within six months, she had somehow convinced up to 200 other people to follow her journey online.
“When I meet other [inline skating] coaches, maybe in Jakarta, Lampung, Bali or when there is an event in Jogja, it turns out that they want to join the event especially because they want to meet Leika. And when I chat with the coaches, I ask them ‘Why do these kids want to rollerblade?’ They want to be like Leika,” Ilman said.
Such is Leika’s influence that the shop where she bought her equipment sold an average of 2,000 to 3,000 pieces monthly after she posted about it.
When she meets her fans, Leika understands the impact she has on them, so she is always willing to greet them and express her gratitude. According to her parents, she is also very aware of how her online celebrity status affects her family.
“We used to sell [coffee] at the Tugu Jogja intersection on the side of the road, from a cart. Leika would sleep there until 1 a.m., from the age of 1.5 years until she was 3. She knew the process was tiring, she knew the process of making money,” Ilman said.
Read also: The state of Gen Alpha digital playDealing with haters
Growing up in the public eye, there was a time Leika cried after reading the nasty comments that come with social media exposure. At one point, she took her phone and locked herself in a bathroom after checking her Instagram during a trip to Jakarta.
Her parents have even considered whether Leika needed professional help.
The nasty comments aren’t only directed at her, but also at Diena and Ilman’s parenting methods.
But the family of three quickly learned how to deal with negative comments, with Ilman skimming, deleting and blocking some.
Meanwhile, Leika’s adoring fans have stepped up to take on the trolls themselves.
As for the parenting comments, Leika’s parents stand firm that their daughter decided to film and post content on her own volition, without persuasion from either of them or anyone else.
“What we do here with the team is ultimately improve the content: How we can present kids and family content that is approved by norms, by YouTube, and by applicable laws. We've also been assisted for two years by official consultants from Google, from YouTube. They give [guidance] on how to create high-quality content,” Ilham said.
“Finally, our goal here is to encourage other children to play and learn,” he added.
Playing by the rules
Her parents are aware of Indonesian labor rules on child employment, and to comply with YouTube regulations, which ban children from creating stand-alone content for users under 13 years, they only upload videos they create “as a family”.
Meanwhile, Ilman said the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection does not have specific regulations, but it highlights the importance of educational content, games and positive influences from Indonesian kidfluencers.
In fact, the family has received an award from the ministry and was appointed by Google Indonesia as one of three pilot channels for children that are good for viewers. In addition, they now currently employ 48 people to help them create content.
Going beyond social media, Leika is now on a mission to release 50 books by the end of the year in collaboration with Gramedia, after her previous books — on storytelling, activity books and Muslim children's prayers — sold 17,700 copies.
“Leika is just happy to create content, I’ve been doing it since I was little, and Leika's dream is to provide inspiration for all of you,” Leika concluded.
Read also: Are the kids alright? The Gen Alpha question
This article is part of The Weekender, a biweekly tabloid that appears in the Saturday edition of The Jakarta Post. Offering a variety of feature articles on lifestyle and culture, it aims to enriching your reading experience. Subscribe here to access The Jakarta Post's Saturday edition and all Premium content.
