Netflix is shining a brand new mild on younger influencers of their upcoming docuseries Dangerous Affect: The Darkish Facet of Kidfluencing.
The three-part deep dive — which premieres on April 9 — focuses on Piper Rockelle, the now-17-year-old with a large social media presence throughout YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. The teenager constructed an viewers by staging pranks for movies, taking part in trending challenges and hinting at crushes amongst her group of buddies.
Although the content material took off with thousands and thousands of views and likes from followers and followers, Dangerous Affect highlights that Rockelle’s “Squad” was made up of rigorously forged child actors, lots of whom have nightmarish tales to inform concerning the star’s mother and supervisor, Tiffany Smith.
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In January 2022, 11 teen content material creators filed a complaint in opposition to Smith, claiming that they had been “continuously subjected to an emotionally, bodily and typically sexually abusive setting perpetrated by Ms. Smith on and off set throughout filming periods for Piper’s YouTube channel.”
What unfolded was a baby abuse lawsuit that was settled in October 2024. The $1.85 million settlement was entered with none admission of legal responsibility or the validity or lack thereof of any claims or defenses.
Previous to the trailer’s official launch, Smith tells PEOPLE she’s “lastly pleased to say” the authorized points are behind her.
Netflix
“Clearly we didn’t do something that was alleged, however sadly, cash is an enormous motivator for sure personalities on this world. We made the choice to place this behind us as a result of actually, extended litigation can be much more dangerous and painful to everybody concerned – which incorporates youngsters,” says Smith within the assertion. “Piper is a minor, and has already been via quite a lot of pointless and dangerous scrutiny. So we prioritized psychological well being, and made the choice to place this behind us and concentrate on the following section of her profession.”
For her half, Rockelle describes the “complete expertise” as “extraordinarily painful and, actually, onerous to know,” she says in a press release issued to PEOPLE. She provides, “Not simply due to the individuals making ridiculous claims about me and my household — but in addition how the media has been.”
The 17-year-old influencer continues, “It has been extremely onerous as a result of the media and social media have been relentless and so hurtful, with out understanding and even attempting to know the reality. It is change into not possible to even have a look at my telephone or do regular, day-to-day issues. It has been so extremely painful. Thank goodness for my household. And thank goodness that is lastly behind us.”
Netflix
Within the Netflix docuseries, a few of Rockelle’s costars step ahead to element the alleged exploitation, manipulation and abuse they endured working underneath Smith. Snippets of featured testimonies within the trailer recall how Smith would arrange scenes, instructing the youngsters on how one can hug and pose with one another.
“She can be like, again and again, ‘Intercourse sells. Make it attractive,'” one particular person shared in voiceover audio as older footage of the youngsters performed.
“Tiffany finds individuals who wish to be well-known. She takes benefit of them,” a featured commentator could be heard saying in a voiceover from the trailer. In a confessional, one other contributor in contrast the YouTube group to a cult.
Along with their harrowing encounters with momager Smith, Rockelle and her fellow child influencers had been uncovered to an viewers usually largely made up of grownup males. The brand new Netflix sequence poses the query of whether or not or not it is okay for a kid’s “vulnerabilities to be exhibited to random strangers” on-line.
Netflix
As talked about within the trailer, what “appeared so harmless” from an outsider’s perspective was removed from it, particularly as the youngsters concerned began to herald a substantial amount of money. The sneak peek notes that Rockelle was incomes round $500,000 per thirty days.
“It is not simply these youngsters, it is so many others. And if one thing is not completed, these will not be the final youngsters,” concluded one other contributor.
