TV Writer Iris Gilbert reviews Netflix’s new documentary on child influencers, finding it both eye-opening and uncomfortably intrusive
Content warning: Mentions of child abuse and child sexual abuse
As I switched on this highly anticipated documentary last week, it was hard at first glance to see what exactly was wrong with these kids. Running around, laughing, and playing together – they simply reminded me of my childhood and the friends I used to hang around with. As someone slightly too old to have been watching Piper Rockelle’s content at the time of its popularity, I did not fully understand the complexity of what was going on here. What seems so innocent at first, I found out three episodes later, was in fact a horror story of abuse, coercion, and a tragic loss of childhood.
“a horror story of abuse, coercion, and a tragic loss of childhood.
Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing is a three-part Netflix documentary following the lawsuit and allegations against ‘momager’ Tiffany Smith, and the lengths she went to reach internet fame for her daughter Piper. It follows the friends and family of Smith who experienced firsthand the abuse that went on and the effects of sharing their lives online. Piper Rockelle’s YouTube channel initially started out as what seemed ‘fun’ and lighthearted. Over the years, as the fame grew and popularity increased, this content shifted to grow more uncomfortable and age-inappropriate for such a young child.
The documentary is certainly raw, deep, and emotionally heavy, but I found it completely binge-worthy. There were so many questions that I needed answers to straight away, and I found myself watching the entire series in one sitting. Flicking between footage of Piper’s channel, and hard-hitting interviews with her family and friends, the show was dynamic and kept you on the edge of your seat wanting more.
One criticism I hold of the documentary is there felt like there was an element of intrusion. It was disclosed at the end of each episode that Tiffany and Piper did not consent to be a part of the show, and this made me feel uncomfortable knowing that all this abuse was being talked about without one of the main victims being involved – while she is still living under the care of her abuser. But the endless footage of Piper left me feeling as though I still knew her very well by the end of the documentary and almost completely forgot that she was not actually directly included in the show.
Underneath all the fast-paced action of Piper and her friends, the true message of this documentary is that any parent who is putting their child in this kind of situation should be deemed abusive. Just because it is all these kids have ever known, and just because they believe this to be ‘normal,’ it does not make it any more right. It also really made me think about how greedy people in this world have become to believe that it is in any way right to put their children in these vulnerable positions, ones which allows them to be exploited and available for any preying eye on the internet. All in the name of making money for themselves.
“The documentary really challenges viewers to stop watching any sort of ‘family’ content on YouTube altogether.
Talks of sexual abuse were prevalent in the show which was incredibly hard to listen to, these kids as young as nine were being used by Smith to do unimaginable things that have left them traumatised and scarred for life – enough for some of them to completely come off social media altogether. One clip saw her kissing one of the underage boys, in a video that has now been scrapped completely off the internet. It scares me to think that this can happen and the abuser is so able to get any evidence removed overnight like she did.
The documentary really challenges viewers to stop watching any sort of ‘family’ content on YouTube altogether. As much as I have never really engaged with Piper Rockelle’s content before, it makes me think about all the vloggers I grew up watching such as ‘8 Passengers’ and ‘The Ingham Family’ and the similar cases of abuse that have been seen in their circumstances.
Overall, I would thoroughly recommend this show to anyone looking for something to binge-watch, as well as anyone who has consumed media like this over the years for more education and information on the topic.
Rating: 4.5/5
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