Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Docuseries Highlights Need for Legal Protections for Kid Influencers

Docuseries Highlights Need for Legal Protections for Kid Influencers

child holding smartphone

Getty Images/Keiko Iwabuchi

A new Netflix docuseries explores the unseen complexities and dark possibilities of child influencing in our modern internet age, raising urgent questions and highlighting the critical need for legal protections for kid influencers once their internet presence turns into work—a full-time job that, at times, financially supports their families.

Released last week, “ Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing ” shares how Youtube star Piper Rockelle—who began posting videos at eight years old and garnered 12 million subscribers and about 1.87 billion views—and her “Squad” of fellow pre-teen social media influencers worked and lived in a toxic environment under Rockelle's "momager", Tiffany Smith, and Smith's boyfriend, Hunter Hill.


The three-part exposé dives into the harsh, manipulative, and complex working conditions that “Squad” members experienced while working with Smith and Hill, who created a physically, mentally, and emotionally unsafe environment for the underage content creators.

In 2022, eleven former “Squad” members filed a complaint against Smith and Hill for “emotional, verbal, physical, and, at times, sexual abuse” when they were active members of the Squad. The child abuse lawsuit was settled in October 2024 for $1.85 million—incredibly short of the $22 million that was originally sought—with all parties specifically disclaiming any liability.

All former “Squad” members who have spoken out are still intensely impacted by the trauma caused by Smith and Hunter, whether their online careers have been irreparably damaged and/or they are experiencing long-term post-traumatic stress. Attorney Matt Sarelson shared in the documentary that, “In many ways, a lawsuit is where justice goes to die.”

The viral series explains how managers of influencers have been able to circumvent child labor laws and protections put in place for children in the entertainment industry.

“These abuse allegations against Tiffany, which include battery and child labor violations, are not unique to the Piper Rockelle/Tiffany case,” Lorenz said in the series. “These are common forms of abuse that are rampant in the ‘kidfluencer’ industry.

Several culture experts have criticized the lack of connection between many political figures and pop culture, emphasizing the importance of understanding pop culture and acknowledging its significant impact on individuals and groups.

“‘Kidfluencing’ right now is the wild, wild west. I mean, there’s no regulations that keep these influencers safe,” said Brandon Stewart, Content Strategist, CEO of Brandon Studios

“It’s an unregulated frontier of the entertainment industry,” shared Attorney Jeremiah D. Graham. “When a child is treated like this, they shouldn’t have to go out and hire private attorneys in order to vindicate their rights.”

“The government has absolutely no appetite to implement any sort of meaningful regulations in this industry. They still treat this industry as a joke,” said Lorenz. “Lawmakers are often 70 to 80 years old. They don’t take this world seriously at all. They make fun of it. They mock it…And until we start taking this industry seriously until we start viewing influencing as labor, these kids are screwed.”

Legal Protections for Child and Teenage Influencers

Quit Clicking Kids, founded by Chris McCarty, who was featured in the docuseries, advocates for legislation that protects the well-being of child influencers. The initiative looks to expand protections for child actors to child influencers.

In 2022, McCarty worked with Washington State Rep. Emily Wicks (D) to craft and introduce HB 2023. The bill would require guardians to set aside a percentage of social media earnings for children featured in the content and, once they reach the age of 18, allow former child influencers to request the removal of content in which they appear. In 2023, the bill was reintroduced as HB 1627 by Washington State Rep. Kristine Reeves (D) with no changes.

“I think one of the biggest misconceptions is not seeing it as work, especially for the kids,” commented McCarty. “It is very much not a hobby for many of these influencers. It is a job. And in some cases, it’s the primary or even the only source of income for these families. That has the potential to place an undue burden on these children to create content.”

In 2023, Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) signed SB 1782 into law, making Illinois the first state to implement financial protections for child influencers.

In 2024, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed two bills that protect child and teenage influencers from financial abuse:

AB 1880 expanded the Coogan Law —which requires employers of child performers and creators to save at least 15% of their gross earnings in a trust, accessible once the child reaches adulthood—to also financially protect underaged content creators.

SB 764 requires that parents or guardians of minors featured in monetized online content set aside a percentage of their earnings in trust accounts.

Despite the growing call for legal protections, the pressing question remains:

How can we increase safety regulations to protect the entire well-being, not just the financial well-being, of child and teenage influencers?

Currently, advocates call for educating audiences and reforming internet culture to be more skeptical about child-centered content and to be more concerned for the well-being of children featured in monetized content. Others point to social media platforms, stating that it is their responsibility to rethink their business models and prioritize the safety of children.

“We really just need to educate people. We need to change the culture. We need to change norms around parenting,” stated Lorenz. “The fundamental problem is the business model of these platforms and these capitalist incentives.”

Belén Dumont is a freelance reporter and associate editor at The Fulcrum.

Read More

The Misinformation We’re Missing: Why Real Videos Can Be More Dangerous Than Fake Ones

Many assume misinformation requires special effects or technical sophistication. In reality, much of it requires only timing, intent, and a caption.

Getty Images, d3sign

The Misinformation We’re Missing: Why Real Videos Can Be More Dangerous Than Fake Ones

Recently, videos circulated online that appeared to show Los Angeles engulfed in chaos: Marines clashing with protesters, cars ablaze, pallets of bricks staged for violence. The implication was clear, the city had been overtaken by insurrectionists.

The reality was far more contained. Much of the footage was either old, unrelated, or entirely misrepresented. A photo from a Malaysian construction site became “evidence” of a Soros-backed plot. Even a years-old video of burning police cars resurfaced with a new, false label.

Keep ReadingShow less
Activism in Free Press
The vital link between a healthy press and our republic
Getty Images

Activism in Free Press

“Media and technology are essential to our democracy” is the first statement that appears on Free Press’ website, a suitable introduction to an organization dedicated to reshaping the media landscape. Founded in 2003, Free Press was established to empower people to have a voice in the powerful decisions that shape how media and technology operate in society. Over the years, the media industry has undergone dramatic shifts, with corporate consolidation swallowing up local TV stations, radio outlets, and newspapers. This has led to a decline in independent journalism, resulting in the loss of numerous jobs for reporters, editors, and producers across the country.

Due to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a piece of legislation that allows anyone to enter the communications business, it was up to Free Press to closely monitor decisions shaping the media landscape when people’s right to connect and communicate is in danger.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump Administration Reverses Course: Nvidia Cleared to Export AI Chips to China

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters from the Resolute Desk after signing an executive order to appoint the deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration in the Oval Office at the White House on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla

Trump Administration Reverses Course: Nvidia Cleared to Export AI Chips to China

Nvidia, now the largest corporation in the world, just received the green light from the Trump administration to resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China—marking a dramatic reversal from April’s export restrictions.

The H20 Chip and Its Limits

Keep ReadingShow less
Ten Things the Future Will Say We Got Wrong About AI

A team of

Getty Images, Dragos Condrea

Ten Things the Future Will Say We Got Wrong About AI

As we look back on 1776 after this July 4th holiday, it's a good opportunity to skip forward and predict what our forebears will think of us. When our descendants assess our policies, ideas, and culture, what will they see? What errors, born of myopia, inertia, or misplaced priorities, will they lay at our feet regarding today's revolutionary technology—artificial intelligence? From their vantage point, with AI's potential and perils laid bare, their evaluation will likely determine that we got at least ten things wrong.

One glaring failure will be our delay in embracing obviously superior AI-driven technologies like autonomous vehicles (AVs). Despite the clear safety benefits—tens of thousands of lives saved annually, reduced congestion, enhanced accessibility—we allowed a patchwork of outdated regulations, public apprehension, and corporate squabbling to keep these life-saving machines largely off our roads. The future will see our hesitation as a moral and economic misstep, favoring human error over demonstrated algorithmic superiority.

Keep ReadingShow less