Anna Hartz
Why I’ll Think Twice Before Sharing your Child Online Again
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How many parents don’t post photos or videos of their kids online? Their first steps. First laughs.
That silly dance in the kitchen. We see it as saving memories. Something innocent. But what if it’s not?
What if, without knowing, we’re exposing children to a world they’re not ready for?
The documentary “Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing” makes one look at it all differently. It’s not just about predators. It’s about the parents, writes Laura Udrea for Romanian news site Totul Despre Mame.
Take Piper Rockelle, for example. A popular YouTube star. Just a kid. She and her friends posted cheerful, fun videos.
But behind the camera, things were darker. Piper’s mom, Tiffany Smith, and her partner managed her career.
They controlled everything. They pushed for more content, more views, more money. At one point, the channel was bringing in over $500,000 a month.
In 2022, former members of Piper’s group, “The Squad,” filed a lawsuit. They were kids, too.
They said they were overworked, manipulated, and sometimes even exposed to disturbing behavior.
One said she helped send Piper’s underwear to a fan. She was twelve. Smith told her, “Old people like to smell them.”
The documentary shows clips. Interviews. Real stories. It’s disturbing. Kids saying they were offered weed.
Pressured to share personal things about their lives. Some said their channels were sabotaged after they tried to leave.
In 2024, a settlement was reached. $1.85 million. But money doesn’t erase trauma.
These kids lost a part of their childhood. The kind you don’t get back.
This story isn’t just about Piper. It’s about how far some adults are willing to go for fame.
And about the adults out there who engage with this content, without your and the child’s knowledge.
It’s about who really pays the price. And it’s a warning. We need to think twice before pressing post.