From Shaytards to 8 Passengers, family channels have had an uptake on social media for years. Parents hold their cameras and showcase their children growing up, filming their first school dances, travelling and things alike.
Viewers tune in for the wholesome and relatable nature of these families. Many adore the children like their own evidently in the comments they leave, admiring their sweetness.
While it started as something touching and lighthearted, parents putting their kids on the internet have raised some questions. Is it ethical to use your kid for financial gain and compromise their privacy? Do they, and can they give consent to being filmed?
Several cases have come into light, and they have gradually exposed the coercion and straight up child abuse parents place onto their kids for the money, not caring about the privacy or well being of their child.
The channel “8 Passengers” has been talked about a lot, especially since the arrest of the mother, Ruby Franke. Since then, her biological children have spoken about her, exposing the abuse they underwent throughout their childhood.
Even before Franke’s arrest, netizens have caught onto suspicious elements in their YouTube videos. One was that Franke’s oldest son was bereft of a bed and a bedroom for months for pranking his younger brother that they were going to Disneyland, something light-hearted and playful. From that, one can imagine what it was like off camera.
Later, footage taken on Aug. 30, 2023 of Franke’s youngest son, at 12 years old and frail-looking, is seen with duct tape around his ankles and no shoes on, pressing the doorbell of his neighbor. He asks the man politely if he could take him to a police station.
This was the start of the disclosure of information about what occurred in the Franke house. Franke had held two of her kids captive; inflicted serious physical injury onto them; forced them to starve, walk in the desert barefoot and sleep outside. They were in dire condition.
While Franke’s case may differ from others’, many parents, unloving of their child, put them on the internet for their gains with no care for their security. The case of Tik Tok influencer who goes by Jaquelyn and her young daughter, Wren, displays how parents willingly and knowingly put provocative videos of their children as young as three years old on the internet just for the views and profit. Her videos of her daughter included her doing seemingly normal things, such as eating a hot dog, drinking out of a straw, sitting on whoopee cushions and more.
However, by looking at the number of people that liked and favorited these videos, one doesn’t need to think that deeply to realize the type of people to be saving and downloading them.
While some parents may not be aware of the damage that posting their kids could inflict onto them, it was clear that Jaquelyn did know exactly what was going on. As TikTok shows which percent of the viewers are men or women, and from evident vile and disturbing comments expressing sexual desire for the child and still decided to repeatedly post Wren, an innocent little kid, to the eyes of child predators hiding behind screens.
These parents need to be held accountable, and help should be given to the children. While predators are the ones that need to be reported and given punishment, parents are responsible for what they put out into the world, and no one should have to search themselves up on the internet and be shown footage after footage from when they were younger, with no ability to erase it completely.
Privacy is something these parents don’t believe their children have the rights to. Some of these children don’t know a time where they weren’t on camera to get parents money. Parents start filming and uploading content of their children while they’re pregnant and during their birth. From the second the baby enters the world, they are on camera for everyone to see. That’s how their life starts.
As they grow up, parents continue to upload videos that I imagine the children don’t want everyone to see. Shoving the camera in front of a child’s face when they’re crying instead of consoling them or parenting properly affects one immensely. Once something is on the internet, it’s impossible to completely erase them. These children will have footage of their child-self haunting them forever, with other kids and with job interviews.
Especially when looking at unedited footage or behind the scenes, the child doesn’t appear thrilled to be on camera and showed off. Some are seen expressing that verbally, with different situations and parents only shut them down.
A video circulating on the internet a few years ago showed a mom, Jordan Cheyenne, telling her child to “act like you’re crying” for a thumbnail. The boy replied with “I am crying,” with tears rolling down his cheeks.
Similarly, some footage the Franke family gave to Hulu for the documentary, “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” exhibited one of her children actively saying that they don’t feel like being on camera as Franke scolded them for not appearing very bright at the moment, and Franke continued to film and making him act happier. The chilling video exposes Franke verily telling him to “Act happy.” These parents are guiding their children to fake emotions for the camera, disregarding their actual feelings.
Digital footprint is very real, and it can most definitely affect these kids greatly in the future. Not only can they be exposed to identity theft, being exploited to online predators and lack of privacy, but it leaves colossal emotional damage as well.
It was disclosed that Franke referred to her children as her “employees” when filming on a road trip and such. Instead of being able to have fun, these children continued to be used by their parents, and likely felt their responsibility to draw in money by appearing to be having fun.
Abuse like this can leave persistent marks even when they’re adults. It makes them lose autonomy over their privacy, cause anxiety from being perceived by anyone on the internet all the time, feel exposed and broaden the distance between themselves and their parents.
Illinois passed a law in July of 2024 that amended its Child Labor Law, and it was the first state in the United States to protect minors being posted online; it required parents to share a portion of the compensation from posting vlogs of their children to them if the content holds the name, image or likeness of the minor. The funds should be in a trust for the minor and available to them when they are 18 years old or declared emancipated.
Although this law doesn’t protect children completely, it is a step towards it. In fact, Minnesota has a law similar that will become effective in July of 2025; it has the same rule as Illinois, as well as prohibiting minors who are under 14 from “engaging in the work of content creation,” which is considered to be at least 30% of the content in 30 days and if the compensation is at least $0.10 per view. Additionally, it makes creators delete the content if the child asks for it.
Many more states should be following and taking steps similar to Illinois and Minnesota; however, I believe those 2 laws still don’t demonstrate enough protection.
It’s become so normalized for parents to post their kids, whether it’s their proud moments or embarrassing ones, that many have failed to consider how their children feel. No matter the money, exploitation and abiding emotional distress is not worth it, and while it’s understandable to want to brag about one’s child and their achievements, setting boundaries and doing so properly and moderately as possible.
