At the age of seven, Knowa De Baraso started making vlogs and playing Roblox, which led him to later cross over into politics and advocacy as a social media influencer. Even though the 13-year-old can’t vote yet, he is using his voice and platform to change the face of politics.
The Atlanta influencer told 11 Alive, “I really don’t have a choice. It’s more of an obligation… It would be so selfish just to hoard a platform and not use it.”
The teenager has backed and collaborated with a number of Democrats both nationally and in his own state, like former President Joe Biden.
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De Baraso added that during former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, her team called on him to reach out to the 18–24 age group. In Georgia, he has collaborated with high-profile figures, including District Attorney Fani Willis.
The 13-year-old discussed with 11Alive the implications of Senate Bill 165, which was authored by Democrat State Senator Nikki Merritt and prohibits people under the age of 14 from establishing social media accounts in Georgia.
The bill was unsuccessful. De Baraso said, “So right now, statewide, we have a lot of leaders who, quite frankly, don’t know what’s going on… and it’s one thing to say, ‘Hey, let me speak to young people to see what they think about it’… and it’s another thing to just completely ignore it and make assumptions based off your cousin who had this experience on social media and had problems with that.”
He went on to say he didn’t think the solution to cyberbullying was to ban kids from social media.
“If you’re being cyberbullied, turn your phone off. It’s that easy. Whether you live in Georgia or whether you live in South Carolina, no legislator should be able to tell you what social media [you can use],” he remarked.
His biggest worry is that as 2026 draws near, Democrats will steer clear of influencers, actors, and singers.
During the 2024 presidential season, he told 11Alive, that he observed a movement among Democrats to move away from influencers in an attempt to prioritize more members of the working class in the campaigns. De Baraso emphasized that influencers are an essential part of reaching out to young voters.
He remarked, “Why are we talking to 24-year-olds right now who will not be in that 18-to-24-year-old voting bloc? You need to talk to kids now. Go to their parks. Go to their churches. Go to their rec centers. Go to places they’re at. Advocate for them. Show them that you care…like you’re talking to a voter.”
He added, “Democrats like to say ‘you, baby’… then when they leave, they’re not giving them campaign literature. They’ll be able to vote in the next election, and you can’t play them like they’re not going to be able to.”
Meanwhile, De Baraso is enthusiastic about having the best Senate and governor nominees.
He also expressed his confidence that influencers will remain at the forefront of campaigns, adding, “I’m also optimistic that my Democratic friends on the influencer side and my other friends who have a platform will speak up for Democrats because they’re the only party with a platform.”
He continued, “That’s our only option right now. So I’m optimistic that they’re not discouraged by the language of weak leaders saying that we don’t need to send you out on the campaign trail.”
