One UW student's push to regulate "kidfluencing"

In the new Netflix documentary “Bad Influence”, 11 teenagers recount their experiences working with Piper Rockelle, who was herself a child influencer.

All of the teens were former “squad members” of the Youtuber. They described performing scripted scenes in front of the camera - like fake “dating” scenarios, or pranks. 

They also described feeling violated by some of the videos, and behind the scenes interactions with Rockelle’s mother, Tiffany Smith - who’s also her manager. And they described not knowing how to say “no” when placed in a situation where they felt uncomfortable.

“Bad Influence” is one of two recently released documentaries about the impact being a “kidfluencer” can have on children, as well as on their families. 

There’s also the new Hulu documentary, “The Devil in the Family: The Ruby Franke Story”. 

The documentaries are bringing a lot of attention to the potential dangers of kidfluencing and the work many are doing to rein in the industry.

One person who is pushing for changes is Chris McCarty. They founded “Quit Clicking Kids”, a non-profit dedicated to stopping the monetization of minors on social media, as a high school senior.  

Now, as a college student at the University of Washington, McCarty has helped shape legislation in multiple states focused on regulating the kidfluencer industry.

They were also featured in Netflix’s “Bad Influence: the dark side of kidfluencing”.

Guest: 

• Chris McCarty, founder of Quit Clicking Kids

Related stories:

• Kids, Inc. - NYT
• Piper Rockelle Has a Lot to Say About That Netflix Documentary - Rolling Stone

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