Ever since the pandemic, the existence of kidfluencers has grown immensely, as the internet and social media became a holy grail throughout the lockdowns. Instead of dwindling, though, it seems parents have realized that there is a booming market out there, and it entails a lot of money. A new unsettling three-part docuseries on Netflix, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, gives voice to ex-members of the famous YouTube channel “Piper’s Squad”.
The group consisted of teenager Piper Rockelle and her content creator friends, who later exited the squad. The documentary series explores the ex-members’ serious allegations that Piper’s mother, Tiffany Smith, abused some of them and created an unhealthy environment. With the success of Hulu’s devastating documentary series Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke and Shari Franke advocating for protection for children, Bad Influence is another important look behind the scenes of kidfluencers. The new Netflix documentary doesn’t shy away from showing the ugly truth of what went on within the infamous squad. Bad Influence proves that kidfluencing should be illegal, and here is why.

The Blatant Violation of Children’s Boundaries

Unfortunately, violating someone’s boundaries for financial gain is a common approach that is taken by many people in higher positions. Tiffany Smith and Hunter Hill were both in such positions, and they didn’t hesitate to abuse their power. The unjust power dynamic in Piper’s Squad was given, as Smith and Hill were the actual heads of the entire group, while the children and teenagers who joined as per invitation or went through a casting process were inferior in every sense of the word. The members of the widely celebrated YouTube channel were forced to work excessive hours. Even though all of them were still in school, the majority of their day was dedicated to filming content for their channel. Saying no wasn’t an option.
Child labor isn’t even the worst part of kidfluencing, since Tiffany Smith arguably made it her job to make the Squad teenagers’ lives even worse. Netflix’s true-crime hit Bad Influence reveals that, in the beginning stages of Piper’s Squad, the group filmed funny skits and pranks, but they soon turned sexual. Smith forced squad members to develop “crushes” within the group, letting the subscribers root for them and follow them around as they “fall in love.” Tiffany and Hunter pushed the kids to act as though they were about to share intimate moments, show themselves online in inappropriate clothes, and in intentionally enticing ways.
The lack of protection from online predators is a major issue regarding kidfluencing, since they could potentially even become actual stalkers and harass children in real life. The safety of kidfluencers was and will never be given, neither online nor offline. The boundaries of the Squad members were constantly violated, and are still being violated to this day, as the content of them is still circulating online, likely in the wrong hands. On top of this, Tiffany Smith is living a good life, despite the accusations, and she has even started selling steamy images of her daughter to predators. Smith is making money by violating Piper, whether the teenager is aware of how disturbing this is or not.

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The Shocking Aftermath of Working as a Kidfluencer

On the surface, it seems as though kidfluencers are living the best life. Fun challenges, amazing toys and gifts, entertaining activities. The list of what these young content creators do (or are forced to do) for their subscribers is endlessly long. What viewers usually don’t see is the detrimental effects these children’s social media presence has. No one sees the plea to not film (aka work for another hour), the desire to stay clear of any cameras, the defeat, realizing that the parents have the last say.
Usually, children trust adults. They trust that grown-ups have a child’s best interest at heart, and the teenagers in this heartbreaking documentary trusted Tiffany and Hunter at first. It’s just wrong to use an underage person online for more views and more profit. Knowing that videos that should be private are out there for anyone to see (with or without malicious intent) and knowing that millions of people can criticize a child with barely any boundaries is sickening.

One of the most shocking moments in the series is the revelation that Tiffany Smith made sure that various videos purposefully landed on adult entertainment sites, which led to YouTube flagging their content as inappropriate and potentially harmful. Smith intentionally paraded these teenagers on erotic platforms, knowing that people with malicious intentions would come across their videos. Tiffany Smith and Hunter Hill were the directors behind the Squad’s provocative and inappropriate content involving children and teenagers, and no one protected these children from the dangers of the internet.

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Ex-Kidfluencers Are Fighting To Protect Other Children

Shari Franke and her five siblings lived through a child-fluencer nightmare, which is explored in detail in Hulu’s record-breaking true-crime documentary series. As the eldest daughter of YouTube’s most hated mommy vlogger, Ruby Franke, who ran her channel called “8 Passengers” from 2015 to 2022, Shari experienced the dangers and dark sides of kidfluencing first-hand.
After the arrest and conviction of Ruby Franke for aggravated child abuse in 2023, Shari is now advocating for the protection of children online, particularly in family vlogging. She fights for stricter laws to ensure the well-being of children, meaning to keep them away from the camera in general. There are no laws that would be able to protect children who are working as content creators, because once a photo or a video is out there, boundaries are going to be violated. Bad Influence proves just that. Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing is available to stream on Netflix.