All over social media, parents have been posting videos of their children and marketing their content as “family friendly.” On the surface, these videos seem fun and entertaining, but it is putting unnecessary stress and harm on the children in these videos. Parents are aware that their content is being seen by millions of people and is potentially harmful to their children, yet they continue to post to their accounts, exploiting their kids for views and money.
In serious cases, the content being posted by these popular creators is gaining ground because of creeps who sexualize the children involved. The parents see the disgusting comments, yet encourage their young children to continue these acts and allow people to harass their children for views and money.
On TikTok, the account @wren.eleanor, which now has all its videos removed, followed a young preschool-aged girl. Her mother posted videos of the toddler doing things like eating hot dogs and drinking from straws, and while this may seem normal, the videos gained traction and thousands of saves. The comments were flooded by men saying suggestive things about the child, thereby sexualizing her. Despite the mother admitting to seeing the comments, she continued to post her daughter in this way, as it brought in over 17 million followers and made her thousands of dollars. Her mother should have shut down the account and stopped showing the face of her underaged daughter, but she continued to exploit her for views and money.
When these popular family creators post these videos that garner millions of views and dollars, it comes at a price for the children. Once a channel amasses and sustains followers, parents pressure their children to continue making content. This forces them to work long hours behind the camera – all for the parents to earn money off of their kids.
Ruby Franke, the “8 passengers” YouTube creator, was arrested on counts of child abuse and child endangerment. At first, their content was lighthearted and sweet, as she posted snippets of her large family’s life and centering her content around her children. People began to realize something was off with Franke as she punished her kids and documented it on YouTube. In one instance, she told her kids they did not deserve unconditional love. In another, she took away her oldest son, Chad Franke’s bed privileges, forcing him to sleep on a beanbag chair for months. Franke’s youngest two children were later served an even worse fate involving physical and emotional torture after Franke became religiously radicalized due to her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt’s, family therapy tactics.
The public sensationalized arrest of Franke made headlines for months afterwards. Her adult children, Chad and Shari Franke, recently spoke out about their experiences in a documentary on Hulu titled “Devil in the Family.” Franke’s family commented on the abuse, saying they are now forced to live with the pressure of the media and the trauma that it caused them.
Parents understand that the crazier the content, the more traction it gains. YouTube creator DaddyOFive lost custody of his children for a short time due to the pranks he pulled on his children and posted online. In one video, he smashed his son’s Xbox with a hammer and in another, he poured ink on the child’s floor. The children most often have a negative reaction to his pranks, and afterwards, he films them crying or throwing a fit. People pointed out that this content is borderline abusive and stressful to children, causing child protective services to get involved. CPS ultimately dropped the case against the family because they claimed the videos were staged. Staged or not, content like this is using children and their vulnerability to gain money.
Parents should also be aware that they are creating a digital footprint that will stick with their children forever. When they go to get jobs, this mark on their life will not be erased. When they attend school, it puts the child at risk for bullying. Whenever I see content of “the Rizzler,” an eight-year-old TikTok sensation, I cannot help but think that he will never be able to escape the nickname and the face he makes.
Parents who post their children’s faces online, forcing them to make content day in and day out, do not have their child’s best interests at heart, they are simply just money hungry.
