To think family vloggers are weird

[Illtakeacoffee]

Weird is an understatement. When I see family channels or content creators with their children’s faces plastered on every platform I find it sickening. I seen this family on tik tok with 6 kids announcing their 7th child. It’s as if they are having more kids just for the content! Their kids were like robots. Probably spent hours learning tik tok dances, creating thumbnails, dressing in matching outfits. It’s horrible. It bothers me because a) the amount of predators online is an issue and these parents are willingly giving out their children’s names and putting them on the internet before they can consent b) monetising your kids and making money by putting them in the spotlight so they can never get a normal childhood is cruel and c) imagine how much of that child’s life is spent setting up a camera and having to take pictures after picture. Video after video until it’s perfect. I can’t believe it’s allowed especially after that case where that mom was found abusing her children and they had like 2 million subscribers. Let kids be kids. Strangers shouldn’t be able to save videos of little kids!

I remember when I first had my dc someone recommended to me a mum account on YouTube - the videos were of a mum's daily life with her children and very unsubtle product placements in between. I thought nothing to see here, I've got better things to do with my time...
But people watched. And it became a very well paying job. That YouTuber now is doing really well financially and is semi famous - and there's videos of her now bigger kids with nappies/ crying with frustration/ breastfeeding...
There was/ is a demand.

I'm just watching the Ruby Franke documentary on Disney...yes very weird.

There was a tragic tik tok video of a woman teaching her daughter where her private parts are. I don’t know the ins and outs only heard about it as that’s the last thing I’d want to see. It’s supposed to be a private moment. Well apparently this video got like 40,000 saves. There’s demand. Unfortunately I question who it’s for.

I think it's child abuse. I can't see any of those children growing up well adjusted. The weirdest ones are the ones who have seven or eight kids squeezed into a van and travel around. Several families in the US like this.

I agree it’s so awful to see.

I agree op.

I think that many don't have the capacity to fully comprehend what they are doing.
Maybe some do, and that's even worse, but many won't .

I have to say I don't like it at all.

DD went to school with a girl whose family were 'YouTube' famous. Possibly the family OP is talking about. I think there are 6 of them now.

The way every single part of her life was orchestrated for YouTube was horrendous. And needless to say, the private lives were VERY different to the nonsense you get to see.

Awful parenting. I felt genuine sadness for the children.

I listened to a podcast with one of ruby Frankie's children talking about how much they hated being constantly filmed and how they had no say in what was shown. I feel really sorry for children who are used to make money by their parents.

I think it’s a combination of a lot of things: ego and selfishness being at the forefront and ignorance only playing a small part. We all know about internet safety. They just choose to ignore it for financial gain.

I was just thinking this... her yelling at the kids in the background then putting that weird fake smile on for the camera.
Interesting to me is how her son is now an 'influencer' yet her daughter campaigns against family bloggers.

I could imagine a lot of the time that is meant for play or bonding with their parents would be spent would be spent filming or creating content. And to top it all off, they don’t have a choice but to participate!

And on the flip side, often, they create unrealistic expectations to what children are really like and some parents may end up feeling resentful about how 'flawed' their children are and not treat them right as a result.

There is an interesting documentary on Sky/ Now called An Update On Our Family, about the Stauffers who were family vloggers. They adopted a little boy from China who was completely traumatised, and stuck a camera in his face immediately. He was used for likes and money, then they gave him up after 2 years. It was so sad, and the way they used him as a product was vile.

There’s a video circling around of a family saying they were backing out of adopting a child from Thailand because Thailand had strict laws that you cannot post children on social media post adoption for 1 YEAR! Showed their hand. I worry content creators see children as their ticket to fame not actual human beings in need of love and protection.

I always find family vloggers very weird. They exploit their kids for cash (which the kids don't often see), take them out of education to "Home school" (which rarely happens) and often isolate their children from friends, family and life in general.

Often the parents are abusive too (8 passengers, FamiyofFive etc) or do things that are abhorrent (Stauffer's etc).

Can't stand them.

I'm amazed families like the Inghams still have an audience given the father is a known pervert.

Yes I heard about that, it definitely shows what their priorities are. The Stauffers picked a name for a child before they had even been matched with one, a name that was not Chinese. They then did a countdown to the photo reveal, they were adopting a 2 year old who already had a name and a culture. This poor little boy arrived with his foster carer, absolutely traumatised and they stuck cameras straight in his face and called him his "new" name.

A particular low point was a sponsored video the mother made about how she uses a particular fabric softener to help her bond with him.

I finished this yesterday.. really sad for the children

Agree most are awful. There is one I really like where a mum combs her little girl’s hair and uses it for conversation/teaching moments.

The mum is really wise and kind and the little girl also shows a lot of kindness and empathy (talking about interactions at school etc.).

It doesn’t sound staged, just natural and lovely.

But at the same time the little girl is so young that she can’t possibly be aware that she’s on social media, let alone consent. So I don’t know how I feel about that.

Someone on here recommended mom uncharted on instagram. She is so clear about how awful people are who use kids for content. It should be illegal.