By Nupur Apte
Within the last decade, kid-influencing, specifically on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, has become a significant phenomenon, sparking hundreds of children to join in hopes of achieving fame. However, this is not the first time kids have broken into the entertainment industry.And child stars like Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, and Macaulay Culkin warn of the dangers of child fame.
This new generation of “kidfluencers” on social media poses a new threat to child safety in the entertainment industry. The rules on these platforms are more lenient, allowing for weaker protective measures that compromise the safety of children, including long workdays with minimal breaks, a lack of support, education, and financial compensation, which often results in exploitation for minors making content on social media. This brings us to Piper Rockelle. At just nine years old, she went viral on the TikTok sister app Musically. Inspired by Jake and Logan Paul, she and her mom sought to create a “Team 10” (the Paul brothers’ YouTube house)- esque influencer house, called The Squad. This group was hugely successful, and according to Piper’s “momager,” Tiffany Smith, the pair was making anywhere from $4.2 to $7.2 million per year.
Over the years, The Squad has evolved, adding new members and replacing others. In the 2022 lawsuit, many ex-Squad members accused Smith of explicit and vulgar speech around children, as well as sexual harassment of many male and female members. The lawsuit ended in a settlement; however, the case was far from over. Many former Squad members participated in the Netflix documentary Bad Influence, pleading with Piper to leave her mother and reiterating that they only want the best for her. Piper also recently started posting on a new platform called OnlyFans. The mature nature of her content, paired with her young age, makes for a sharp turn from her mostly PG-13 content before her eighteenth birthday. This all poses the question of Smith’s guidance and direction, as most parents would not be so open to promoting their barely legal daughters’ participation in an adult platform.
The exploitation of Piper Rockelle, from viral star to OnlyFans model, depicts both the effects of childhood stardom and the dangers of a bad role model.