Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing

[BertieBottsEveryFlavourBeans]

Anyone else watched this on Netflix? I'm half way through the second episode with my jaw on the floor.

For people who haven't watched, it's centred around a "kidfluencer" called Piper Rochelle and her mum, Tiffany. Basically exposing how this mother has exploited her daughter, sexualised her and her "squad" for social media likes, views, followers and money. I feel so sorry for the poor daughter who has spent her entire life being exploited by someone who should be protecting her, going as far as to send grown men her daughter's used underwear.

You also hear from the parents of other children in the squad speaking out about what they experienced, although I'm struggling to sympathise with them when to me it seems they clearly knew what was happening to their children and they voluntarily put them forward for it.

It's a really interesting but uncomfortable watch, makes me even more determined that DD will not be allowed social media for as long as we can keep her away from it.

All of those parents need jail time. All of them.

I'm watching it now, never heard of any of them but bloody hell!

I haven’t watched this but will do so.

One of the “school mums” is insta-famous for posting all the ins and outs of her very young DDs terminal cancer. Everything from pictures of symptoms, hospital visits and test results, plus images of all their “bucket list” outings. I hate how she parades her daughter’s illness for likes and comments, completely invading her DDs privacy.

Oh, and they made an announcement that the poor girl is now receiving palliative care alongside an announcement that they are welcoming a new baby to the family… great timing.

Bloody hell, that is awful.

I can understand sharing updates on your child's health to family and close friends, but for the sake of garnering attention online?! I just don't understand it.

What really frustrated me watching it was the fact that the parents could have watched the content that was being posted, seen what was going on and put a stop to it. It seemed like they were motivated by the money and "career" they saw that their children could get out of it and decided to hang around. The final episode dives more into the sexual assault from this girl's mother, it's absolutely disgusting. The documentary makes a point of telling us on multiple occasions that the parents didn't know about it, but I just can't imagine why a parent would WANT their child online, to become an influencer, to garner likes and approval instead of letting them enjoy their childhood. It seemed to me the only motivation the parents got to sue this girl's mother was because of what she was doing to blacklist their children's YouTube accounts which caused their financial revenue to go down. The parents found out about the sexual assault after they had already decided to sue.

Im just watching the first episode. The tagline is 'the dark side of kidfluencing'. Im not sure what the 'not' dark side is of exploiting your children and recording and curating their every movement for social media 'likes' even if it does make you a shedload of money.

I’ve watched it. Hideously stupid parents who did nothing to protect their children and still seem more worried about their children’s online presence than their safety. Awful.

That statistic about the volume of older men who watch these kid videos as opposed to the number of kids who subscribe. its something like 92% according to the programme!
I wonder how many people who hawk their kids online at all times think about that, and whether it would make them think twice?

I’m watching it - I had never heard of her, the only influencer I remember my daughter watching was Grace of graces world. However she did know who she was. It’s just horrific. My daughter is also watching it as she did the other one on the woman with her kids. I am hoping it makes her realise all is not what it seems.

I'm obviously not young anymore, but I don't understand the appeal of watching these types of videos? I was cringing watching some of the clips, it's so obviously fake but young people must buy into it and believe it? But yes the obvious conclusion I came to was that a lot of the people watching must be paedophiles. The mother was selling her daughter's used underwear to a middle aged man posing as a young girl 🤢 it's abuse in plain sight.

DDs friend was trying to send her links to tiktok of someone in their classes account (she is year 7, this was back in year 6). DD couldn't watch them because she doesn't have tiktok but apparently this girl posts videos of her dancing. I know to them it's harmless and something fun that they want to share with friends but it's not just their peers watching these videos, it's god knows who.

The comment about the instamums making it so easy for these paedophiles by posting this content made me feel sick!

I’m watching this now…these parents are unbelievable!! They stuck around for ages when they knew their kids weren’t being treated well and were being sexualised and now only seem to care that their kids YouTube channels aren’t doing so well! It’s mad! Also what mother would push their daughter to speak to a predator on the phone and send her underwear to grown men. Just awful

I watched this tonight and felt sick, those poor kids abs the fact that Piper is still being exploited now is so depressing. Plus the fact the parents took the pay off rather than have their day in court says it all about the other parents motivations.
It does make me feel better about my own parenting though, I’m not perfect by any stretch but I’m a million times better than all the mums on that show.

I think that’s a bit naive to suggest about them taking the pay - the legal world is complex and they may have had little choice.

Its gobsmacking there was no criminal case to answer.

I agree that the other parents had a lot to answer for however the one who spoke out then became estranged from her son so there was everything to lose by speaking out. I suspect by the time it dawned on them what they’d got involved with it was too late.

Piper’s mum was the perpetrator and seemed to be a master manipulator, there were seemingly no consequences for her.

I was so shocked by this. The videos themselves were so wholesome. My 12 year old watches silly “fun” stuff like this all the time and now I’m like are we just watching kids being exploited. And I guess it’s pretty obvious that we are.

The abuse and everything is terrible but also the fact that it takes so long to make these videos and the kids are essentially working long hours.

Halfway through EP 2 and agree the majority of these parents, especially Sophie’s, as well as Tiffany need a fucking reality check. Morons. Dangerous morons.

The kids interviewed are remarkably well-rounded given their experiences.

I've watched all 3 episodes but I had heard about Piper Rockelle before. The youtuber Amala Ekpunobi has a few recent shows about her. Piper is 17 now and has more recently been hanging out with and staying in the house of a group of only fans models. So that is the path she is now on while still being managed by her "momager".

Onto EP 3 and the parents are making me even angrier - “she wouldn’t let us talk to other people” - how? What was the threat? That your kid would be kicked out and you’d lose your cash cow?

Tiffany’s actions are heinous but the apparent ongoing lack of insight/accountability from most of these parents is mindboggling.

I know MN frowns on Tattle, often for good reason, but users there are very quick to call out this kind of exploitation. There really needs to be tighter regulation on the whole industry.

Just started Ep 1 and I'm cringing at these "sexy dances", it's so awkward and unhealthy.

That poor Piper wears more make up doing fluffy slime that I would on my wedding day.

I watched all 3 episodes last night. A PP said the content was 'wholesome', but I don't think the later stuff about the 'crushes' was, basically kids being forced to kiss etc just for the content.
I don't have a huge amount of sympathy for the other parents. As has been said, it was easy enough for them to see what was going on by watching the clips. The controlling behaviour from Tiffany should have raised so many alarm bells.
I do hope Piper manages to get out of this though, once she is an adult, her mum surely can't keep controlling her like this. But it is so damaging.

I found it awful that despite knowing how bad it was that they wanted their children out of the “squad” and knowing the dark side of it all, what initially prompted them to seek legal advice was that their kids media accounts were tanking! Just get them offline ffs.

I'm watching it now - apart from all other horrors, what really stood out to me is that it appears Piper never went to school and basically never received any formal education??? Other mum also said something along the lines "we took her out of school..." - how is this even allowed? So you can just choose not to educate your kid? Fucking unbelievable. No wonder there are so many thick people in the US.

Piper is 17 and her Instagram is horrifying. She’s clearly being set up to do a Bhad Babie at 18 and go on Only Fans.

I question how much agency she has in any aspect of her life. I hurt for her.

Her mum basically raised her for this. Poor girl.

Edited: Just had a look - she is barely dressed in all of her posts. Gross.

I'm watching it now. I am horrified.

I do have some sympathy for some of the mum's. The ring leader is typical narcissistic or even sociopathic to be fair. She has suckered in certain types of other mums who are damaged and vulnerable in some ways. Yes, they're still absolute morons to allow this and I stress, I'm personally very anti social media and anything on it about myself and kids. Yet I see how this happened.

My first thought watching the young girls doing their early videos was.. peadophiles dream. How many peados are at home doing all sorts over that content. Don't people ever think about this reality. I worry how many of those beasts would actually try find where girls like this live. It is insanity.

I wonder if the whole pageantry contest thing has clouded peoples lines when it comes to this sort of thing, especially in the US. My family is American, the whole Jon Benet Ramsay stuff is still very much alive and well when it comes to sexualising your kids and putting them in beauty contests. I think it’s so “normal” in so many circles out there that then going on to you tube and continuing to post in that sort of way is just an extension of it. And it is a paedophiles dream. Absolutely vile. But a lot of the parents are so ingrained in it all that they just don’t even see it. And of course some do see it and choose to just see the £££ instead.

I agree.

It’s coercion and control, the parents are also her victims.