By India McCarty
The directors of new docuseries BAD INFLUENCE: THE DARK SIDE OF KIDFLUENCING are opening up about their decision to spotlight the world of “kidfluencing.”
“It was becoming wallpaper in my house,” director Jenna Rosher said of kidfluencer videos in an interview with Parents. “No matter what direction you looked in, you could hear it, you could see it. So I was already curious about what these kids are going through to make this content? Are their lives as exciting and thrilling as they’re making it to be?”
She added, “And it’s not to say that there aren’t kids in this industry that aren’t joyful or have parents working within some sort of safeguards — but it begged me to wonder what is really going on?”
According to INHOPE, kidfluencers are “children who have gained a considerable online following by creating child-centered content on social media channels.”
“The children are hardly ever the owners [of the accounts] and decision-makers behind their platforms but are guided and encouraged by their parents,” the description continued.
BAD INFLUENCE tells the story of some of these kidfluencers — popular kids’ YouTuber Piper Rockelle and the “squad” of other young influencers she and her mother assembled to create content together (trailer via YouTube).
Eventually, Piper’s mother Tiffany Smith would be accused of exploiting the children, as well as creating a physically and sexually abusive working environment.
The kids filed a lawsuit that was eventually settled last year for $1.85 million. The group’s attorney Matt Sarelson spoke to PEOPLE about the case, explaining, “A lot of those kids are signing five and six-figure deals. They don’t know what they’re signing. They don’t know what they’re getting into.”
Related: Netflix Documentary Exposes Dark Side of Child Content Creators
Director Kief Davidson said his teenage son was initially angry that his dad was making a docuseries criticizing kidfluencing.
“He was upset that I was telling this story. His point of view was, ‘Do you think it’s easy for kids to become big influencers and stars? It takes a lot of work,’” Davidson explained. “Then I told him how Tiffany had put these kids in danger. That opened up a deeper conversation about how kids are at risk of abuse, manipulation, and exploitation, that the kids deserve to be heard, and the industry desperately needs to change.”
He also added what he hopes viewers take away from BAD INFLUENCE: “Just because something looks fun and glamorous online doesn’t mean it’s safe or ethical behind the scenes.”
“BAD INFLUENCE is an in-your-face wake-up call,” Davidson continued. “People will be surprised by the underbelly of this world, and how a dangerous player like Smith can manipulate the system, manipulate viewership, manipulate the parents, and manipulate the kids. We all want what’s best for our kids. So if they’re a content creator, you must go in with your eyes wide open.”
BAD INFLUENCE: THE DARK SIDE OF KIDFLUENCING is an informative look at an industry that is growing faster than lawmakers can regulate it. Hopefully the series will encourage parents to be more aware of what their kids are watching, and start conversations with their children about what they interact with online.
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