Southern California social media summer camp grooms teens to become Internet Stars

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A new camp being offered in Southern California is teaching young kids how to become the next big Internet stars.

It's a unique summer camp straight out of Hollywood.

Parents from around the world are sending their kids to Southern California in the hopes their child will become the next social media star.

It's not cheap, as the 10 day camp costs over $2,000.

Some kids like Sophia Montero and her 900,000 YouTube subscribers are well on their way to Internet stardom.

However, other kids are just beginning their journey and some of them said they would like to have a million subscribers.

Some kids are hoping to market themselves better.

Instagram and Youtube are favorites and the kids are also learning how to vlog.

Teaching the classes are folks like Youtube star and author Michael Buckley. "There is a disconnect between the parents and the kid, 'andwhy is my kid spending so much time online?' And I always tell the parents, screen time equals learning time," he said.

However, experts caution parents about letting their kids create an identity based on Internet popularity. "Parents should be wary about creating an online identity that's only about popularity? I want parents to help their kids cultivate an online healthy identity. I want them to connect online and I want them to be creative online. I don't want the goal to be completely how many followers and how much money can I make," Jodi Gold M.D., said.

Online safety is also a big concern, with some classes being taught by the Los Angeles Police Department on how to create difficult pass words and keep contents safe.