Current mentee Shayma Bakht has conducted a major investigation for the Times into the dark side of influencer culture. 

Her piece, which was published this week, reveals that Instagram influencers are encouraging their millions of fans to follow accounts that encourage gambling, unlicensed lip filler treatments and plastic surgery.

As well as directing their followers to controversial producers, influencers are engaging in marketing strategies known as ‘loop giveaways’, which have been popularised by figures like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner in the US.

It’s not the only investigation that Shayma, who is also a features editor at AZEEMA magazine is working on. She has been commissioned by Al Jazeera to work on a piece about the Rohingya community in Bradford.