Tags: DigiStarPH Meg Hernandez MEGA Publishing Meghann Hernandez Sophia Margarette To Vlogger YouTube Star
Fourteen-year-old Sophia Margarette To is part of this generation’s celebrities on the rise, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers across the World Wide Web. In modern day lingo, she is identified as an influencer, with over 44,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel (Sophia Margarette To), 115,000 followers on Instagram (@sophiesticated618) and a fanbase of 60,000 on Facebook (@realsophiesticated618). Her popularity in the south side eventually caught the attention of the country’s most discerning authorities in fashion and events, who then trusted her to endorse various brands on her social media pages. Just recently, she was introduced and launched as one of the talents of One Mega Group’s DigiStarPH, Inc., a company that houses digital tastemakers and superstars.
Photo courtesy of Sophia Margarette To
While there are a number of kids who consider social media supremacy a teenage dream, Sophie humbly shared that she never thought she would be able to make a career out of what she considered a hobby. “I didn’t have any intention of becoming famous when I opened my social media accounts. I just enjoy posting about what I find interesting and fun. I didn’t think what I post would make such an impact online.”
“I guess her fun-loving personality made her relatable to people her age,” said the doting mother, Donya.
Photo courtesy of Sophia Margarette To
Sophie considers her access to social media a matter of trust between her and her parents. “I want to take care of the trust given to me by my family. I have to take responsibility of what I post and say online. I trust my parents’ honest feedback all the time. I ask my mom to review my materials first before they get published online. As a teen, I know I need guidance and it’s nice that my parents are attentive and supportive of all my passions.”
Despite the lack of malice and pretense, Sophie endured a phase of bullying and bashing, both online and offline. “I think it affected me more,” Donya quipped. “It worried me that some of those bashers were kids in her school. I thought of the worst, how they’d treat her in class or whatever. As a mom, I want to protect and defend my child.”
Sophie survived it all, unscathed. “To my surprise, she just kept her cool,” her mom added. “She told me to calm down and not to mind what other people say about her.”
Photo courtesy of Sophia Margarette To
That nonchalance always brings Donya a bit of relief, convincing her that her daughter is mature enough to choose her own battles.
“She is very down to earth. Beyond the fame and all the opportunities that come with that, she remains level-headed, kind, respectful and responsible. She never got carried away. I guess, as a parent in this digital age, we must ensure that we instill the right values to our kids. We cannot control the information they see online or get from somewhere else. The most we can do is guide them and keep the communication open for whatever questions they may have.”
Photo courtesy of Sophia Margarette To
Asked if gadgets and Internet ever caused any problem for her daughter, Donya beamed, “Sophie is a consistent honor student. She and her brother do so well in school and they never gave me any reason to worry. They have fun with friends after school and on weekends, and they do their own thing when they’re home. What’s important to us is they enjoy their childhood and grow up to be good and kind people.”
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Story also published on my Metro Mom column in Edge Davao newspaper.
