Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing Review

Hello Readers,

I watched this over two months ago, and as I sit here editing this post, I’m still angry. I’ll be honest with you; dear reader I have strong feelings about Kidfluencing anyway and those feelings are only getting stronger as more of these kids grow up and finally get to speak for themselves. To quote the guardian “nothing about this shocking tale feels OK”

I don’t own the rights to the poster image (used here under Fair Use for review purposes, as per sections 29 and 30 of the Copyright Act).

Netflix’s new documentary Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing highlights serious concerns about how some parents are exploiting their children in pursuit of fame and financial gain through online content. The three-part series focuses primarily on the stories of young American influencers who were involved in a YouTube channel called The Squad, where Piper Rockelle and her group of ‘friends’ appeared in scripted, highly produced videos designed to attract attention and boost viewer engagement.
 
Although the series concentrates heavily on the alleged abuse Tiffany Smith inflicted on her daughter Piper and other members of The Squad, it also emphasizes that this behaviour reflects a broader, systemic issue. The documentary includes interviews with other parents; many of whom acknowledge having turned a blind eye to the environments their children were placed in.
 
One thing worth pointing out, in my opinion, is that none of the parents featured in the documentary seem to take genuine accountability for putting their children in harmful situations. Many come across as biased, and some still appear to believe that plastering their kids across social media is acceptable, despite the trauma their children have experienced. It’s deeply unsettling that these parents remain so focused on the success of their kids’ YouTube channels, even after everything that’s come to light.

I’ve double and triple-checked this quote, even rewatched the entire documentary twice to be sure I got it right. One of the girls from The Squad recalls that, at just 12 or 13 years old, she went with Tiffany to a post office, where Tiffany was mailing what appeared to be a package of Piper’s underwear. When the girl asked why, she says Tiffany replied, 'Old men like to smell it.'  Please tell me what part of that is acceptable? Tiffany denied all allegations, and the lawsuit was settled last year without admission of any liability.

In the end, Bad Influence is more than just a disturbing documentary it's a wake-up call. It exposes not only the individuals at the centre of this particular story but also the larger cultural problem of monetising childhood for entertainment.

As more of these now-grown kidfluencers begin to speak out, it's becoming harder to ignore the long-term damage caused by this kind of exposure. What’s most troubling is that, even now, some of the adults involved seem more invested in views and subscriber counts than in the well-being of their children. We owe it to these kids past, present, and future to take their stories seriously, to demand better safeguards, and to start asking much harder questions about what we consider “content”.

L x

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