Kayla Maisonet may be best known for her role as Georgie in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle-but that isn’t the most impressive thing about her. The half-Puerto Rican beauty is a style inspiration and advocate for anti-bullying, which she speaks about with passion, clarity, and knowledge. We talked to Kayla about her view on social media in the modern age, and how it plays a part in both her personal and professional life.
I remember where I was when I first heard about Twitter. A friend and I were in the car right before a Justin Bieber concert – she was crying out of excitement – when she told me that he had tweeted that he was pumped to be in Fort Lauderdale for his show. “Wait, he told you that?” I asked (now I realize how stupid I must have sounded). “No, he told all of his fans that,” she said with an eye roll. “But maybe he’ll respond to my DM.” The confusion deepened.
Now, eight years later, we live in a world where celebrities are able to take us behind the scenes of their lives, whether to show fans that they’re “just like us” or share exclusive parties, vacations, and new makeup collaborations.
But apart from the crowd of stars who use social media as a platform for selfies and Twitter wars, there is Kayla Maisonet’s pure, humble voice in a time when young fans need it most. At just 18 years old, the Disney Channel star has amassed 1 million Instagram followers who get an inside look at just how genuine and normal the girl they watch on TV really is. Scrolling through her feed, you won’t find any R-rated or inorganic content. Instead, viewers see snaps of her strolling through a grocery aisle, visiting museums, and shopping at the mall.
Now more than ever, young stars are able to influence their fans into many directions, wrong or right, and that’s a responsibility that Kayla does not take lightly. On our call, she told us that her philosophy when posting a photo is, “If it’s not appropriate, then it isn’t going up there.” She also understands who her audience is, and realizes that her Disney Channel star status means filtering her content for younger demographics.  “When you’re on children’s programming, your viewing is younger and you have to keep in mind what is appropriate for them.”

People always have something to say, but I just try to look past it. – Kayla Maisonet

Although Kayla may treat social media as a professional (yet playful) extension of her brand, some users are not as affable. Accomplishing so much at such a young age opens you up to a lot of negativity in the form of mean comments and nasty DMs, which Kayla chooses to handle with grace, and even offers advice to fellow social media users facing the same problem. “There are always people saying things on social media that are totally unnecessary, but it’s important to not let it affect you because you don’t even know these people. They’re just internet trolls and what they have to say doesn’t really matter. People always have something to say, but I just try to look past it.” 
Her experience with online haters–who have sent her “gross and inappropriate” messages in the past–has given her the wisdom and maturity to help younger cast members, who might not have the same thick skin that Kayla has developed. “I constantly tell myself and the little kids on set that the person’s behind the phone and doesn’t matter, so don’t let it affect you. They’re just trying to make themselves feel better, so for the most part I just look past that.”
Still, Kayla believes that there are plenty of upsides to social media. She uses it constantly to look for style inspiration, and incorporates looks that she finds into her own wardrobe. “I’m obsessed with scrolling through Instagram. I’m constantly finding guys and girls who I’m so inspired by. I like to save their looks so that I can go out and see if I can find something to buy that’s similar. You could scroll for days.” 
*This interview has been edited for clarity.