Why Are So Many Youtubers Being "Exposed" Lately?

[@RachelOates]

Hi all, I apologise for getting some of the specific dates wrong in the Taylor Swift line. Clearly they weren’t in the article I used as a source. I just read one article and a chapter from a Kennedy biography about her. It wasn’t meant to be the focus of this video, just an aside that there seems to sometimes be a double standard for women. That said, I still find her actions creepy and I think justifying things as ‘but they had JUST turned 18 / were just about to’ is helpful because we all know it’s not about specific ages and how things just magically click over to acceptable on a birthday. I’m fine with people whatever about the Harry and Taylor situations because yeah, they were slightly closer in age BUT there is no way in hell anyone can justify what she did with Connor Kennedy - stalking the family, dating his cousin, following his life since he was a child, meeting him at 17, dating him at 17, turning 18, signing him out of school as his adult guardian when he was finishing up repeating his junior year and going into his senior year, crashing a family wedding she was specifically asked not to attend, calling paparazzi to his just dead parents’ grave, then buying the house across the road from him. It’s not just that she did this when he was 17/18 and she was 23 but it’s that he was still a kid in all his life experiences and she was a working, independent adult. It’s that she definitely had power and influence over him. It’s that she took advantage of a grieving child when he was vulnerable until his family had to step in and help him. These are absolutely facts and anyone defending these because you just love Taylor, you’re part of the problem. Let’s try not to let Taylor Swift of all people derail an important conversation here.

[@soy.sauce.latte.]

I'm actually so glad you mentioned Taylor Swift, the fact her image is built "girl power" and being a good person, but everyone ignores the stuff she actually does is very concerning, especially when it's about someone with as much wealth and influence as her.

[@gileadsfinest3729]

It’s a given that the image Taylor presents to us isnt the real her, and the things she does like dating a minor unfortunately provide us with insight on her real character. As a fan, I really hope she regrets it but it doesn’t erase the fact that it was disgusting of her. You can be a fan and also realize that she isn’t the good person she is constantly marketing to us.

[@nina-s1c1m]

she never dated his cousin and the real estate discussions were happening long before she even met the kennedy’s. she didn’t love bomb him either (she has one song about him and it’s about his grandparents) there’s no excuse for dating a minor but she’s certainly not the creepy stalker you’re making her out to be.

[@IanM-id8or]

I'm glad you've noticed that double standard. in general, people seem to think that if an adult woman hits on a boy that it's a gift, rather than a violation. That double standard continues into adult situations as well. For some reason, it's considered acceptable for women to grope men in ways that it is not acceptable for men to grope women, and the men are treated as if there is something wrong with them if they refuse. I personally was groped by a woman that I had danced with twice - at arms length - and after that refused to dance with her ever again. She sexually harassed me for the next year, with assistance from her children. BTW When I was 14, my eldest sister (who was 18, so technically an adult) plied me with drugs, groomed me and attempted to sexually assault me

[@teodorasavoiu4664]

​@@IanM-id8or I'm so sorry those things happened to you. And yes, there's a visible double standard here that both men and women perpetuate, the whole idea that "men and even boys are always up for sexual activity" and that any sexual attention is accepted and desired by default. It's such a harmful stereotype.

[@RabbiJoeInJerusalem]

I think it's because teens of the 2010s are finally old enough to realize how they were victimized. The platform is still in its teens, after all.

[@frogonwall]

This!!

[@valolafson6035]

But also, people didn't understand the internet, and how people would use it to harm kids,so adults spent a lot of time not paying attention.

[@PoeInTheDitch]

That makes perfect sense

[@jimin8006]

Probably I guess. Influencers are a newer profession as well, so ethical standards are hard to determine and establish.

[@avourrito1819]

Actually true. I was 13 in 2015. I was watching SkyDoesMinecraft, look what he has been exposed for. I hate him for making me hate his girlfriend at the time

[@FinalSeraphLeo]

I learned about this quote because of Lindsay Ellis: "Power doesn't corrupt, it reveals.”

[@turtleboy1188]

Power attracts corrupt people

[@hannahriss1349]

Absolute power, absolutely corrupts…

[@tubester4567]

The other thing is most kids are already exposed to porn online at a young age, and people say things online they wouldnt say in person. Theres also the normalization of Onlyfans and porn culture. Young girls are told its empowering to do sex work. Theres also the LGBT movement who is normalizing sexualizing children at a young age. Just last week a bill was being passed in California to update outdated SA laws against minors. Part of the bill included more severe punishments for SA of minors,. Anyway, an LGBT activist spokeswoman opposed the bill, saying it would disproportionately punish LGBT people. The hearing was recorded on video and is posted on KZbin but nobody in news or media covered it, and almost nobody is talking about it. Pride Parades are advertized as "family friendly" but its normal to see naked men and women walking around and even people performing sex acts. Our political leaders, media and activists are normalizing all of this.

[@OryxAU]

​@@tubester4567 Almost like LGBT people aren't a blanket homogeneous group of people who have all the same opinions or act the same way. I would argue that yes some laws are weaponized against minority groups, it's not new, it has happened since laws have existed. Understanding that is how you move forward.

[@frohnatur9806]

MAINLY that, but also, some decent people might try to gain power in order to use it to finally get closer to societal equality. Since gaining power generally necessitates exploitative and manipulative measures, they would need to use those and might get used to them and come to like them. At the same time, when you're in a position of power, you'll be surrounded by lots of admirers and maybe even feel justified in starting to use such exploitative measures for your own selfish reasons. Even though power reveals much more often, I think in this way power can indeed also corrupt

[@legendaryfrog4880]

KZbin suppresses these videos because it wants to be 'family friendly' even though they know the biggest money makers are targeted towards kids and teens. An age demographic that are usually easily influenced by big personalities. Suppressing the videos gives the general public the impression that 'all is well' and the mistakes made by Logan Paul, SSSniperwolf, Onisan, Colleen Balinger, etc are just quirky one-offs and not a pattern of abusive behavior. Remember kids: Corporations don't care about your health unless they can monetize a therapist to help you.

[@aimoth9953]

this is very very true. and on an individual level big creators also can bring a lot of attention to the platform and so YT excuses a lot of their shit. sssniperwolf is the biggest example of this recently, not just with predator shit (which I didn't even know about until this video??) but also the doxxing and theft

[@heavenj7]

Well KZbin makes money off of these families it’s all about the $$ at the end of the day

[@icravedeath.1200]

That misspelling of onision means older brother in Japanese😂 Hopefully if he does have a younger sibling their sanity is still intact.

[@drtaverner]

Yes, "Family Friendly" but don't educate and arm kids against being exploited by older people. We didn't know better nor what to do about it, but now that we know, we can't warn others.

[@UlshaRS]

And this isn't even the first (or last) purge wave. They happen about every 7 years to entire sectors where someone speaks out and others step forward in that and other content groups

[@AshChiCupcak]

It's not just KZbinrs, celebrities in general are getting exposed. We as a society are growing and learning and finally starting to stand against the vile actions these people did. I hate looking back to when i was kid in the 90s and a teen in the 00s, where this behavior was so normal to me, i just kind of expected it. I thought it was a good thing to be hit on by older people. I'm so happy that i was able to get away from that and that my daughter won't be in a world where a majority of people think this is ok.

[@cloverisblue]

I actually got catcalled more often by old men than boys my own age. These men made 12 year old me hate my body, because I had barely hit puberty and I no longer felt safe playing outside or wearing comfortable clothes. It's taken so much work to heal from that.

[@AshChiCupcak]

@@cloverisblue Yea it's really weird to look back and realize that once I became an adult, the catcalling died down. They mainly did it when I was a child and it was always men who were WAY older than me. It makes me feel so gross looking back and has made me extremely self conscious about looking "too nice" or "too pretty" without fear of unwanted attention.

[@vvitch-mist20]

I see parents calling out a lot more behavior issues, and I'm glad for it. I def think it has something to do with the accessibility of children and the lack of understanding on what the internet is. I'm sure more laws and regulations will be put into place that DON'T infringe on our rights. (what we have no is kinda awful, but that's an entirely different disussion)

[@cloverisblue]

​@AshChiCupcak Exactly!! You are on point. I am in my 20s now and I don't get catcalled nearly as much.

[@AshChiCupcak]

@@vvitch-mist20 I know when I was a kid, there were no talks about being safe with strangers on the internet and I was in some absolutely inappropriate chatrooms. Best I can do now is use that knowledge to educate my kids. My daughter is constantly coming up to me now to report anything inappropriate she sees and that's something I never felt comfortable doing as a kid so I must be doing something right. We are becoming a protective generation and I'm here for it.

[@neurotic.nitwit]

i think people underestimate just how much society has normalized brooming and the manipulation of minors.

[@Cochinealisthenewwoad]

Normalization is exactly the way to look at it, yeah. My teens were a while ago (ahem) but now that I'm thinking about all the inappropriate shit my friends and I just kinda accepted as "creepy but whatever?" It's horrifying. I'm glad people are calling it out more and more frequently.

[@izzybiff]

Yes!! was coming here to say this,I!!

[@floraposteschild4184]

It's nothing new. Teachers were having relationships with teens, scout masters had "close friendships" with children, etc. etc. when I was a child in the 1980s. And my parents had similar experiences in the 1950s. We're just talking about it now.

[@a1be31s8x9]

Is it your assertion that inappropriate age gaps are MORE common now than they were in the past?

[@CelticGuardian7]

While I agree with the intended message here, I have to laugh at the thought of people running around with brooms to try sweeping away minors with.

[@samanthacross3523]

I was a teenager at the start of the 80’s , I was also very well developed. Back then everyone just laughed at the “ dirty old men” and there were little accountability. I went through so much harassment and worse. It affects me to this day

[@PartanBree]

Exactly. None of this stuff is new and I have not seen any evidence it's increasing, we're just talking about it, whereas before it was dismissed and swept under the rug. Consider Jimmy Saville. I absolutely believe these roles are attractive to people who are prone to be predatory, and the culture of silence has only enabled it.

[@steffymuze]

You're right. I had a friend who wore baggy sweaters for this reason for 6 years.

[@foxfire1150]

My music teacher in the 90’s was eventually caught preying on teenage girl students while socializing with them outside of school (there was proof he’d groomed them for years- online messages, touching, etc.) Today there are just influencers who are like the “cool teachers” who their young fans wanna get attention from; like groupies, but even more so due to a parasocial relationship (feeling like you know an influencer from following their content especially personal stuff). I have a policy of not socializing privately with anyone under 19. At a party a 17-year-old was befriending me and flirting with me, she was cute, but I said “I can’t give you phone number, because we can’t be friends because you’re under 19”. Although I’m a woman so I am a bit more sensitive to respecting young girls’ boundaries than men are, because I was a young girl. Women can be predators tho and go after younger girls or boys… I think we’re just less likely to feel that sexually entitled

[@DwynTwo]

I remember when I was 13 in 2008, I was on a trip with my grandma and some other older ladies. I wore a mini skirt- I didn't think anything of it, it was hot outside and the skirt was just comfortable to wear. Suddenly the old women, including my grandma, started to laugh and giggle and my grandma said "You missed it!" I asked her "What did I miss?" She pointed to a man at least in his 20's and said "He just looked at your legs, whistled and said 'Pretty!'" Back then I was flattered, now I'm thinking: damn, grandma, that wasn't a good thing! It's crazy how normalized it used to be.

[@shortbreadhead]

Don't even call them men, because that shouldn't be an admirable attribute for boys to think make them a man. It's disgusting, always has been. I would never recommend violence and I've seen women call them out before and they just laugh, when a guy calls them out and ridicules them for their behaviour they feel threatened and put in their place. Honestly it's just going to take everyone laughing at them and pointing out their disgusting behaviour, making them feel small and stupid.. I mean I'm not saying that will FIX it. I'm just saying that they need to be made to feel small, pathetic, not a man.

[@cookingwithsilence]

I was a touring musician at age 16 and I cannot tell you how many baby boomers and Gen X put their hands on me. It was so normal back then, not only for women to touch my chest or my neck or worse but also men, all the time would grab me, put their hands around the back of my neck, in this dominating way, that I am now certain as an adult must have gratified them similarly... If you are a millennial then you might remember having to teach the older generation what consent means. It was so common.... what hurts the most is realizing I'm just a drop in the bucket.

[@whatevername4873]

That's so horrible. I think if anyone touched my neck including my own parents I'd be really put off.

[@nitehawk86]

And it still is common with old people.

[@cookingwithsilence]

@VilleUTTP people who believe that dont care about consent, this is all the evidence you need, the comment was about my consent, not my age. You could care less in both contexts. It's really hard for me not to advocate that you would be clipped, and shipped to an island somewhere. I lose sleep because you live.

[@cookingwithsilence]

@VilleUTTP people who believe that don't ccare about consent, this is all the evidence you need, the comment was about my consent, not my age. You could care less in both contexts. It's really hard for me not to advocate that you would be clipped, and shipped to an island somewhere. I lose sleep because you live.

[@cookingwithsilence]

@VilleUTTP people who believe that don't care about consent, this is all the evidence you need, the comment was about my consent, not my age. You could care less in both contexts. It's really hard for me not to advocate that you would be clipped, and shipped to an island somewhere. I lose sleep because you live.

[@Alias_Anybody]

With faceless online conversions, you *could* fall into the trap of assuming everyone present is certainly an adult sometimes, even if not explicitly 18+, due to the topics or the time it takes place. So if there just happened to be an anonymous minor somewhere one could play devil's advocate. However, in reality, many of those leaked logs prove how the people in question were literally made aware and confronted with the fact, and it didn't stop them, it encouraged them. At that point there's no excuse.

[@josse13579]

Even if they're 18, some of the exposed text message i've seen online is still really weird and inapropriate.

[@Alias_Anybody]

@@josse13579 I think at 18 one should have the capacity to deal with edgy content or leave. Or report it if it's targeted harassment.

[@gromplin]

@@Alias_AnybodyAt 18, I was… talking to people more than double my age. As Ive gotten older, I realize how utterly disturbing that is. 18 doesn't mean “suddenly I have full grown decision-making skills” (as that doesn't happen til 25), so anyone who goes “but 18” when talking about these situations is effectively putting themselves in the line of fire.

[@CarissaEllyn]

I was a victim of Austin jones and it makes me SICK that other ppl have these experiences

[@marybonner7432]

Hope you are doing well and healing. ❤

[@mrspreminger]

wow, I am so sorry. I hope you are doing okay now

[@CarissaEllyn]

Thank you both so much ❤️ I am doing better. I hope everyone hurt by these people with influences feel better.

[@Inspirator_AG112]

I'm sorry to hear that. Hope you are doing better.

[@warlordofbritannia]

I’ve been thinking about this too. I suspect we’re in the early stages of KZbin’s version of metoo. The question that hits me is less why this happens-because this has always been happening-and more what changed recently? I don’t know, I can’t know, but I strongly suspect there’s a domino effect of confidence that seeing one person coming forward makes it easier for others to do likewise.

[@pri2x0x]

Agreed, this was only a matter of time

[@mirandarr4411]

i also think, as other people have said, that the victims are getting old enough to realize that what happened to them was NOT okay.

[@Dave102693]

It started with Shane Dawson in 2020

[@shannonriley1751]

Your points on taylor swift are really worth talking about. I think shes a perfect example of the cycle of abuse - going from dating 32yr/old John Mayer at 19, and dating 30yr/old Jake Gyllenhaal at 20-21, and that not really being a source of outrage at the time, must change the way a person views age gaps. 18 and 23 (as with harry styles) almost seems "normal" in comparison.

[@Me-vn3gz]

exactly, idk how people don’t think about this?

[@human9460]

Yes, I was also thinking this!

[@XDDCCOUUTT]

The pattern was so obvious with Drake Bell too. These KZbinrs who we just found out have preyed on children have a good chance that they’ve been through this or at the very least might’ve had those pedophilic urges.

[@moustik31]

Omg!

[@sherikrupp]

What about Tom Hiddleston?

[@cinnamonlana]

girl when i tell you i feel the same, this year i broke up with my 26yo bf who I started dating at 17 and now being 21 I can't imagine dating even a 18yo person. Also started going to a lot of goth parties and the men there who are like 40yo are the creepiest.

[@mrspreminger]

i hope you are healing and taking care of yourself

[@IndellableHatesHandles]

21 and 18 is by no means inappropriate. It's definitely your choice to not be interested in someone who's 18 but no-one would think that's a problem

[@shanel4294]

@@IndellableHatesHandlesehhhhh, I would think it’s abit weird tho. I’m 20 and I feel like 20 year olds aren’t even mature enough for me so I’m not sure what a 21 year old would get out of a 18 year old fresh out of school, but sure it’s not the worse gap that could happen 😬.

[@cinnamonlana]

@@mrspreminger I am! thanks💖

[@erxa781]

On the fourth of July a friend and I went out clubbing out near the beach & there were a ton of teenagers out there for the fireworks. I watched an almost 40 year old drunk man grabbing and touching a 19 year old girl while asking her to give him her number. I made eye contact with her and then pretended that I knew her and took her away from him. She stood with us for like 15 minutes before going off with her friend. I gave her my number and told her to please call me if she needs me. They're getting bolder and bolder nowadays.

[@Kandralla]

So is the problem that an adult was propositioning anther adult or that an adult wasn't taking the hint that another adult was not interested? Here's the thing, someone is either an adult and capable of making their own decisions and mistakes, or a child. At what point does someone have agency and responsibility for their own choices and your desire to treat adults as as if they are children become a you problem? Either they're adults and the age gap is none of your business or they're children. And to be clear here I'm not talking about you getting involved in the adult not taking the hint that another adult is not interested issue, but that is not the problem being discussed here.

[@user-ayiy824jbd]

@@Kandrallaits not abt that. its the maturity difference. why on earth was a 40 year old man attracted to someone barely legal? hes old enough to be her father. yes its not a crime, but its absolutely disgusting. the brain doesnt finish developing until your mid twenties. she still has the mind of a teenager

[@abeltesfaye_]

​@@KandrallaWhy are you ignoring the creepy age gap AND that the 40 year old man was GROPING that teenager, which clearly made her uncomfortable enough to leave & stand by strangers for protection from him??? People like you are why we still have to have these conversations in 2024... the rapist-apologist & predator-apologist mindset people like you adopt is sickening. Just bc 19 is "legal" doesn't make it ethical & frankly, a 19 year-old isn't even fully legal anyway & no 40 year-old should be going after these TEENAGERS

[@Kandralla]

@@user-ayiy824jbd Yes it is about that. Adults have agency and what is objectively and morally wrong and disgusting is for you to deny their agency because of your turnoffs and inability to comprehend the thoughts and desires of other individuals. You can be personally disgusted, you can choose to advocate for increasing the age of adulthood/consent to 25, 30, 40 whatever satiates your desire to infantilize others... that's it. It's not even remotely any of your business outside of people you personally know or who ask for help (and even then your interest is limited). The person is either an adult and capable of making their own decisions or not; there is no "extended childhood" where they need you to tell them what's good for them. I am an adult, autistic individual with an IQ of 151, and a successful career; I myself through college, own my own home and am starting a business. I have had people try to intervene in my relationships due to having esoteric interests and idiosyncrasies that lead them to think that I have the maturity of a child; regardless of the evidence to the contrary. You need to back off and let adults run their lives. No one is required to act on what personally disgusts you.

[@reneedailey1696]

​@Kandralla None of that- Your "IQ", being ND, etc.- Lends your opinion any extra weight. Older men preying on younger people needs to stop, it is not OK, and if in all your studying you haven't learned that yet, then gently, you have a huge blind spot and need to do further reading. Men like this go for younger women because they have less experience, and therefore cannot see the manipulation at play, or recognize the power imbalance.

[@Randomstuffs261]

Rachel Oates exposed for having mushroom poster

[@RachelOates]

I'M TERRIBLE. (It's a beautiful print from a local artist called Poppy Jennings btw, she's very talented!)

[@dominicfucinari1942]

Even if they were psychedelic shrooms, better than what Onision, Cody Ko, and Dr. Disrespect recently got exposed for.

[@Lillithxxx]

​@@dominicfucinari1942fun fact: there was a study that gave evidence towards psychedelic shrooms can help treat people with depression and anxiety. 1 does can help alleviate the symptoms of both depression and anxiety for potentially months at a time. All that research got shut down though because of the US 'war against drugs'

[@Jake-gs6yl]

​@@RachelOatesI don't know, if you'll see this but the lipstick looks great! Really goes well with your hair. Have a nice day :)

[@emmyrose2774]

You mention education, and I think that’s a much bigger part of this issue than we all think. Children and teens need to be educated about predators, and currently it feels there’s little to no education or bad education in many places. For a small anecdote, I remember vividly in my middle school that we were shown “educational” videos of what would happen to teen girls who sent nudes. In these videos, the message was always “you sent it, so if it gets spread around, it is your fault.” There was a quote legitimately along the lines of “it’s not in your hands now.” We were even told we could get in legal trouble for “sending CP.” The context didn’t matter. There was no talk of grooming, of predators, of keeping oneself safe, nothing at all about reaching out for help. It was genuinely traumatizing for me and I only realized years later how appalling that was. It sucks that so many of us were uninformed or misinformed, and that only leaves everyone vulnerable to more predation, and subsequent self-blame for it. There needs to be so much more than, well, what I got, or just telling kids “you’ll understand when you’re older,” or characterizing all predators as creepy, “ugly” old men, etc. A bit of a rant there, but all the recent events have me thinking about these things too. Anyways, great video as always!

[@reallyscaryfruit]

it's always just something like "there are predators on the internet" but never anything about what grooming looks like etc. especially since groomers don't look/sound like predators at first but instead appear safe and friendly.

[@catperson1526]

That's awful, I'm sorry you went through that. Thank you for sharing

[@LinwoodBlackmore]

I don’t think it’s particularly on KZbin, or particularly anywhere. I think there are just shitloads of predatory people out there and they are everywhere. KZbinrs, teachers, restaurant managers, truck drivers - it literally doesn’t matter the arena, the whole world is infected with sexual predators.

[@zidian1356]

absolutely true, however unless im mistaken i do think more of them tend to work in areas where they have "easy access" to kids. teachers and priests having infamously high rates. however it might be an issue of underreporting as well, so there's no true way to tell

[@EmyN]

Mostly men, because they are taught this way

[@juliushibbert1091]

There’s definitely nuance to the ‘chicken or egg’ causation here. I think there’s something to be said about content creators having to see people as numbers - a dehumanisation, similar to how politicians view a population. Creators with low (or no) capacity for empathy do well on this platform but are simultaneously dangerous to their individual vulnerable viewers

[@dangerousmoth]

I’m in my twenties, and I remember being talked to about internet safety. There was a focus on the fact that you don’t really know who you’re talking to. This person says they’re a child, but they could be way older. This was before influencers were so main stream, so I hope that safety programs continue to grow with technology and society.

[@lucy2005rules]

Something I feel has been hushed up and not talked about enough is the recent allegations against Neil Gaiman. Even from his own excuses he hooked up with a young woman he hired as a nanny for his child, and from what she has said it was not entirely consensual

[@marybonner7432]

Ugh I saw a Neil Gaiman book today and felt sick 🤢

[@dangerxbadger2300]

:( that's awful. He was one of my favorite authors.

[@candy-ninja]

I just read about that on bluesky. I don't know why people don't understand consent and power dynamics. His behavior is disgusting

[@arozeisarozie]

Thank you. I feel like I’m being trickle-truthed the story. The allegations are a disgusting abuse of power. What’s worse is that it’s apparently been an open secret amongst people with the publishing industry. So disheartening. Thank you for bringing this up. I’m still coming to terms.

[@etwrnity]

I hadn't heard of that, oh my god. I really liked Neil Gaiman :(

[@FeministCatLadySpinster]

I've noticed this too - I wonder if the power / fame / money goes to their heads?

[@OddlyTerrifyingMaiden]

A collab video with u and RO would be cool.

[@zidian1356]

a lot of them have been doing it far before their popularity peak tho. it could still be the sudden jump from an everyday person to someone with an audience but i would say those circumstances didn't create any new immoral stances but rather brought to light the already existing ones

[@comradepeggyhill9085]

naw, a lot of these people were already doing horrible things before getting any fame. p diddy for example was know at his college for being weird and throwing parties.

[@wren6798]

I think there are a few steps that we can take to address the issue of predatory behaviour. 1. More education around the subject that is accessible for children - books, class room conversations 2. More education for adults/parents - specifically around online safety 3. More support for predators. I know this one sounds odd but early research shows that mental health support and other medical interventions can stop those who experience thoughts of harm from acting on them. Those who experience the thoughts should be able to safely and confidentially receive support to prevent them from offending. Another interesting point for making people aware of the issue is advertising. I have recently seen adverts by the Scottish and Canadian governments aimed at predators which could be successful in raising awareness on the topic.

[@Sarcasticron]

Yes, this! 💯

[@GatlingPea32]

Sadly the first one is being suppressed by most states in the US, especially in Florida and Texas. Not to mention they are also banning books that deal with this subject from being read in libraries and schools or worse, sold in bookstores.

[@ND-kh5yw]

Absolutely, and thank you for the third point. A lot of people find it hard to grasp that ALL of us could be bad people if we had certain bad experiences or a certain brain chemistry. Support for perpetrators is essentially support for victims, in that almost all perpetrators were likely victims themselves, and we would prevent a lot of potential/current victims receiving further damage by getting to the root of the issue. It's not about excusing them it's caring enough to find out why they are the way they are and not demonizing them like they haven't had a normal human response to being hurt.

[@Palaboi-zm9]

​@@ND-kh5yw Yeah, everyone is asking: WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR THEM TO NOT DO THESE THINGS?! But no one is aking: Why are they doing this in the first place? I think it's because they never received any discipline from their parents. Sadly on the internet when you get exposed, people will see as a horrible sub-human being.

[@angeladelgado7668]

I’m so glad you were there for those girls. Just being there, in the way, quietly protecting them meant that something which could have been really bad didn’t happen. That kind of quiet intervention can be just as effective, if not more, than a big confrontation.

[@yamIhere420]

Seeing how many creepy older men I have met as a person who does not really go out to places like clubs or pubs and has been a minor until very recently it is sadly not that surprising. I really admire you for protecting children and speaking up as much as you do, Rachel

[@vincentvangogh815]

The lack of education is key proplem. I was young child was abused by older girl. Women on women violence isn't commonly talk about and I didn't realise I was molested until my late teen. Funny thing my mum taught me to me weary of older men, but to say that I can be take advantage by women had never crossed her mind. Even now as 25 year old woman it isn't topic I can freely discuss since many people don't take my existence seriously. I usually need to go into gruesome details about what was done to me until people understand how painful was my experience But at least I'm usualy beliven (propably because I look like definition of perfect victime; I'm small with dole eyes, soft spoken and with tendency to cry on spot). I can't even imagine how hard is for men and boys who are victims of female violence.

[@etwrnity]

This also happened to me. I was so guarded against harassment from my male peers that when I started being regularly sexually harrassed by another girl I simply couldn't react. It just didn't click immediately for me that that was what was happening. It is something I am still dealing with the consequences of to this day. Thank you so much for speaking about your experience and I hope you find healing, my friend.

[@grosebud4721]

I was literally just thinking how many "cancellations" and controversies have been uncovered I. Like just the past month

[@KatherineAcosta20]

This is one of the issues, when someone is called out due to predatory behavior, calling it a cancellation is minimizing their horrible actions.

[@jasonmillsom2981]

​@@KatherineAcosta20i think it's also bc the usage of cancellation has been misused so often by the right wing crowd or by people who are trying to avoid accountability that people forgot what it actually means, similar with the word woke being misused by the same crowd

[@jasonmillsom2981]

@VilleUTTP and jail is just a room

[@KatherineAcosta20]

@@jasonmillsom2981 don’t reply to that account, that’s a bot, they added the same dumb comment everywhere

[@jasonmillsom2981]

@@KatherineAcosta20 thanks, I know just want the bot to know😂

[@Kaz7.]

Taylor Swift dated teens in her 20s?? How have I never heard of this? That's so gross

[@Calliefornia923]

@@Kaz7. Rachel’s information is inaccurate. Conor was 18 when they were dating and she was 22. That’s hardly a predatory age gap. Harry Styles was also 18 and Taylor 22 at the time.

[@Calliefornia923]

@@Kaz7. taylor does a lot of weirdo things that are worthy of criticism but this isn’t one of them.

[@ningiyizhuo]

@@Calliefornia923 that's kind of weird in and of itself + as far as I've heard apparently conor was still in high school when they started dating? like I'm turning 20 this year and personally I would feel extremely weird dating a high schooler even if they were 18

[@ItsJustValHere]

@@Calliefornia923Ok, so then it's a small "ew". Not illegal or extremely creepy or weird, but still a bit uncomfortable imo in a sense of "why tf would a 22 yo date a 18 yo, I wouldn't do that lol". Like, that's a last year university student dating a first year, it's what we would call a relationship doomed to fail by the end of the year when I was in university lol

[@dangerxbadger2300]

​@@ningiyizhuoit IS weird. If they're in high school and you aren't, I don't think it matters whether it's legal, it's still fkn weird and icky

[@gerbil_is_typing]

Always nuanced, poised, and eloquent. Thank you Rachel 🌈!

[@kikinationforever]

Medium to dark shades look good on you. Love the self expression! 💜

[@lady8jane]

Yeah, it looks good, gives you a more serious look if that makes sense. Also has a touch of silent movie star.

[@sadmermaid]

It's giving stunning

[@kikinationforever]

@VilleUTTP I'm sorry? Do you mean Rachel looks young or are you saying it's okay for adults to hit on a minor? If it's the latter, then that's not okay.

[@sadmermaid]

@@kikinationforever it's a bot

[@kikinationforever]

@@sadmermaid Oh okay. Also, mermaid's shouldn't be sad 😅.

[@ewno1566]

Honestly as a 20 year old I just think it's more of the " join my discord" than KZbin in itself? like don't get me wrong it is where they get their victims. but you can't talk to people in a KZbin comment section but you can in a lets say Snapchat or discord. my friends and I have been groom-ed in these apps so much to the point now we make jokes about it. I honestly think it's the "a lot of people in a server so no one would notice" idea that make these ppl think they can get away with it.

[@ingweking8748]

I am 20 years old too

[@froggysprite]

honestly yeah. and it doesn't even have to be youtubers, just people on discord can be creeps... it is an internet wide issue. 😕

[@antonioscendrategattico2302]

The problem with the idea of vetting is that there is no real reliable way to tell who's a predator just from their public persona. Yeah, there are some who are just openly creepy, but the majority can easily just hide it until they think they can get away with it, and no amount of profiling people will help with that. The only truly reliable way is to instruct children from as soon as they're old enough to understand about bodily autonomy, their own safety and their rights. And it has to be done the right way, if it's presented as an imposition from the adults the risk that they'll just ignore it to rebel is too high. They need to feel like they can always ask for help if something is going wrong without being judged or punished for breaking some rule.

[@issiep327]

There is SO many massive KZbinrs who have a history of being predatory, James Charles, Shane Dawson, Colleen Ballinger, Cody Ko, Ava Tyson, Jack Justice, Onision, Dr Disrespect and I’m sure there’s SO many more…it’s so weird and disgusting

[@Dave102693]

Jake Paul, David Dobrik

[@geekjokes8458]

here i presumed the "categories" would be "a" for full nudity of a minor, "b" for partial, etc... it's _so much worse_

[@emwatson8032]

Yeah I got the stank face for sure when I looked it up

[@lorieslori8051]

Well, unfortunately the worse case need to have legal terms for it too.

[@thecrispymaster]

I also assumed that the victims were around the same age as the 17 year old he contacted. Nope! 😫

[@icravedeath.1200]

​@@thecrispymaster​ I'm 19 and autistic with questionable boundaries and even I'd feel uncomfortable to ask for that stuff from a 17/16 year old, let alone anyone younger than that! Stuff like this is why I go on so much for the importance of prevention and treatment methods for potential or already offended s*x offenders, preventing and treating this shit is important. It's a disservice to children to, as a society, not put more effort and resources into effective treatment and prevention programs, because that, mixed with more accountability and safeguarding, is an effective way to cut down the number of cases, idk why barely anyone agrees with me on that. We can't just sit back as a society and push people away from treatment for potentially dangerous conditions because that does nothing but make them more likely to offend. Society annoys me with it's deep layers of hypocrisy, we have a way of preventing this shit but we're not doing it for some reason.

[@sahelhappenstance8992]

PSA for anyone unaware, Ville is a troll bot farming engagement. Report and ignore, do not interact. These things are everywhere

[@bettyrose1347]

Thank you for calling out Taylor swift. I will never understand why so many people put her on a pedestal; she absolutely does not deserve it.

[@dangerxbadger2300]

@@bettyrose1347 right?! Thank you. She's absolutely human garbage

[@J0vile]

I absolutely recommend Meat Canyon's animation about her cult. He specializes in horror animation, so fair warning, although the swift one is super tame, she does transform in a very unnerving fashion... I hope I'm not so desensitized I'm forgetting something, lol. Anyway, i always thought i had a reason to not like the queen of 4 Chan, but the more i learn, the more I'm definitely turned off.

[@AlexanderEiffel]

@@J0vilei just came from watching that. What the fuck did I just watch

[@J0vile]

@@AlexanderEiffel The easiest one to watch, I swear to you. The cult of Swifties will take you alive!

[@deaditeera]

Sounds like someone is a follower and not an intellectual

[@KakiOlsenCreative]

0:07 and love the hair as well as the lipstick.

[@paulwozniak9123]

13:40 I started this convo with my son at about 5 years old. "Your body belongs to you. NO ADULT may touch you if you don't want them to. Adults are in charge, except inside here." I moved my hands around about 4 inches from his body. "This is your bubble. You don't have to let anyone in it. If they get in it, say 'No. Don't touch me. Call for help. As your? Dead.I'm telling you that if you are alone in a room with an adult and they touch you you have my permission to leave right away and don't listen to them. Call me right away. I'll be right there." I included some nuanced examples that were (hopefully) on his level. There were certain adults that we trusted and we listed them. And also I told him that even if it's a person we trust, the choice is his. And finally, NO TOUCHING OF PRIVATE PARTS EVER. Ever. No one should ever do that. "If it happens it will be scary but get of there any way you can. Tell me. And know that you didnt do anything wrong."

[@melusine826]

Curious how you dealt with medical or other potential situations that are more nuanced?

[@paulwozniak9123]

@@melusine826 I haven't as he hasn't spent any time with medical/etc on his own. I or his mom always attend appointments.

[@emmalea1371]

this is kind of alot to put on your son at 5 years old and i suspect hes not fully understanding. i sugest therapy for your own issues and not projecting them onto your child❤

[@oliveranimates3038]

​​@@emmalea1371 It may be a bit nuanced but it's a necessity, I wish I knew this before I got sexually assaulted and I was 11 when I remembered it starting. They explained it pretty well I think, the younger you know you have bodily autonomy and that your personal boundaries shouldn't be rejected the less people feeling nervous about coming out about experiences or second guessing what happened to them. Projecting or not though this was definitely a needed conversation bc stuff like this does happen.

[@emmalea1371]

@@oliveranimates3038 i definitely can see your point, and honestly anything that keeps kids safer is a win in my book!

[@warlordofbritannia]

One of the (positive) remainders of my Christian upbringing is the firm belief that we should do good where and when we should. We shouldn’t be watching each other like hawks, treating everyone with suspicion, but when we something we should at least say something. We need to normalize protecting kids when we encounter them online. Policy changes are slow and often incomplete, so it’s up to us in our day to day lives to enact changes ourselves. Even if you’ve effectively changed nothing, at the very least the effort makes it easier to sleep at night.

[@torkelsvenson6411]

Let's not forget Boogie2988 being 50 dating a 20-year old. True, she's not a teen, but the dynamic between them in his videos are very father-daughter-like and he clearly uses the age difference against her.

[@StewPac]

At this point anything Boogie does should immediately be considered the wrong thing to do. Every time you think he can’t get worse, he always finds a way…

[@torkelsvenson6411]

@@StewPac At least he's not Brett Keane

[@GenTink]

Something doesn't have to be illegal to be wrong after all.

[@torkelsvenson6411]

@@GenTink As I saw someone point out, whenever he does vlogs in public people are looking at the two of them in shock and disgust. I can only imagine what goes through their heads. "Is this some kind of social experiment where they're checking if someone's intervening?". Like, she's 20 but definitely looks like she could be around 15.

[@doggerybaw]

I think it's important to recognize that for the majority of people who abuse kids, it's about power rather than attraction. Children and adults under 25 are so much easier to manipulate. Many have not been taught consent properly or are trying to get away from shitty home situations. Some kids will even have their parents push the relationship on the (like courtney stoddard). I hope that this recent push of almost an "influencer me too" movement will help other people feel safe coming forward and warn future generations what to look out for.

[@etwrnity]

The thing about the parents pushing the relationship is so true it hurts. When I was 14 I met a girl my age that had a "boyfriend" that was 18 years old. The worst part is that her family knew and when asked informed us that they actually liked that their daughter was with a "mature" man 🤢. And this is only one of the many stories I have regarding this. Growing up in a small city in Brazil, the sexual harrassment and abuse towards preteen girls by young adult men was rampant. Disgusting, really. Edit: Edited a few words for better clarity!

[@doggerybaw]

@etwrnity I grew up in a fundamental Christian environment. It was super common to have a fresh out of college, or even still in college, youth pastor who ended up dating/marrying someone he was teaching. It was all so normalized that I didn't see it as predatory until I was well into my 20's. I'm so glad people like Rachel and others are calling out this behavior publicly so children who grew up in communities like ours can hopefully see this and stay safe💜

[@sharihazlett3774]

If you are over 18, leave anyone under 18 alone. Quit hurting kids

[@winterkind1772]

I just said to my friend the other day, that influencing is the new "church leader". Yes, this was very over the top, but it lead to a great conversation. That there are both sides to be considered for example. Adult creators having children as fans, but also teenage creators having much older fans and both situations need to be talked about. As someone who had really bad parents, I look back now and think that my biggest source of information were people around 10-15y older than me, who went through similar things as I did back then. But at the same time, I know now that not every one of these people had good advise....

[@vvitch-mist20]

Parents need to stop giving their children unlimited access to the internet, and they need to cultivate trust in their children. A child who doesn't trust their parents will seek out that attention elsewhere, and open themselves up to predators looking for these kinds of kids. Parents who fill that role to the best of their ability, and foster a connection built on love and trust their kids will talk to them about anything they find suspicious. I feel like infants, and toddlers shouldn't be online all the time because they need to learn how to just exist as a person. My daughter(6) doesn't get her "phone" (it's not connected to a plan so it's a mini tablet basically) until like 2-3 hours after she wakes up. I give her breakfast, she cleans her room, reads a book or two and then plays. I take it away at night an hour after dinner, and I put something soothing for bed. While she whines and complains about it sometimes now, I know this will be better for her than her allowed to look at a screen all the time.

[@titandarknight2698]

@VilleUTTP a gun is just a toy

[@Dave102693]

This

[@bloodmongerzero4431]

I'm a starting to wonder if children under 13 should be allowed *legally* to have internet access. Aside from the internet being a p*do farm there's all this brain rot content completely ruining children's futures.

[@walkerlocker6126]

The really scary part for me is how some famous people only stay squeaky clean because they're afraid of social backlash. We only know about the ones who acted on it and somehow weren't able to keep it "discreet". The actual ratio of predators and would-be predators is distressing

[@moustik31]

Im not surprised, I remember being a college student and a newly minted feminist in the 2000-10s. Rape culture was so prevalent as mainstream cis (wo)men are socialised to see all of us, teens/college students as "fair game". Consent wasnt really part of the equation/conversation. I'm glad, to notice that part of mainstream audience's opinion seemed to have shifted toward believing, protecting and supporting victims. It's a good sign, that all these YTbers are being called out for past bad/criminal behaviours. More of this please!

[@jamiewillis774]

I don't think I really trust anyone with a following not to be a predator at this point. Not even the "nicest" (or as nice as they show themselves to be on the curated content they put out), most moral-seeming people.

[@aimoth9953]

I know right. I always see, every time someone is outed as a predator, people saying stuff like "well at least I know [other content creator] would never!!" and like. you Never Know. You don't know them personally. Don't trust them like that

[@Sableagle]

@@aimoth9953 M: "Sometimes we're so focused on our enemies that we forget to watch our friends. At least this clears Mathis" Bond: "No. We just proved she was guilty, not that he's innocent." - _Casino Royale_ MI5, being a teenager, both dangerous games of "Spot the predator."

[@ItsJustValHere]

Right?! There are some people who I would be very surprised to see outed as a predator, but at this point it would be more of like a "ffs, you too?!" type of situation

[@Amberxxbbunni]

I thought the same thing about ImAlexx. There’s a male content creator that I watch who is a feminist and very progressive but I feel like something will come out against him😭

[@PGOuma]

​@@Amberxxbbunniwhoooo?

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

8:54 good for you for intervening and protecting these kids!

[@PlatinumAltaria]

It's important to not worship people, not ascribe qualities to them you don't know they have. Someone can be funny or charismatic or intelligent, it doesn't mean they aren't also evil.

[@AsteriaDae]

I just opened yt to look for a video from this channel to listen to while drawing, so this is so perfect! Also I'm so glad some people are finally thinking about how so many ytbers and famous people are being found to have been innapropiate to minors:/

[@blue_shoes8715]

Thank you for getting in the way of those creeps and actually doing something, looking for security etc. So few people will do anything to help victims which can lead to further victimisation I think it's partly due to the bystander effect which stops people from helping others in need

[@CodeDusq1]

It seems like KZbinrs are getting exposed more often than my internet connection drops.

[@DataRae-AIEngineer]

The first thing I thought when I opened this was, "whoa I love that lipstick!!"

[@lyssjohnson2061]

I loved how Sarah Dessen created narratives that handled really hard topics for the teen protagonists she wrote about. I think it’s hard to find the right line to walk on how to communicate safety online when this is a relatively new concept in the world. I’m so glad to see your opinion here and that it may start some really needed conversations

[@samwindmill8264]

It's hard to fully comprehend why there seem to be so many of these people who feel the need to be weird with their young fans. People often say, "well 16/17 is the age of consent in many places", and i dont think it's necessarily abnormal to find someone of that age physically attractive in a sort of fleeting way. But why the hell does a 25 year old need to be engaging with a 17 year old, even like a 20 year old really? That so often just screams at best "immature" and at worst "predatory/wanting a more naive younger person to more easily manipulate".

[@soyevquirsefron990]

I’d guess that some people go into celebrity careers (clergy included) because they want access to kids and they’re active predators, and some people aren’t distinctly into kids they just want fame like many people do and once they get it and nobody says “no” to them, they deviate into stuff that normally people would be telling them not to do.

[@vshcvsh98]

Def following, love ya perspective on this. Thanks for speaking up!

[@estmosmos2336]

This is a problem in sports aswell. When often times it is the couch who is the predator. Those in position of power that take advantage of kids. You are learned from school to follow authority, so harder to say no.

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

Honestly, I don't really like using the word "exposed," in this context. I think it's better to think of this as a "person gets held responsible for their questionable actions" kind of scenario. I get that the mid 00s to the late 10s were a bit of a wild-west for some content creators at times. "Content" wasn't as much of a thing as it is now, but that lack of oversight doesn't excuse shitty behavior.

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

Side note: Your new lipstick looks incredible with your hair against that dress!

[@zidian1356]

well to be fair, this is the textbook example of "exposing", the word just has silly connotation due do its use on social media but id say it fits nicely and i wouldn't even say its holding someone responsible because most of these people arent gonna suffer actual consequences a regular person would. ava tyson is not gonna go to jail for literally sending p0rn to minors, mr beast isn't gonna be charged for promoting gambling and illegitimate illegal lotteries to minors, etc he has a large enough fanbase to not have to do any of that unfortunately

[@atllover73]

Rachel, I love the green theme and the makeup! It's a highly complimentary style, bold but it works very well with your tones! Love that you are trying it out :)

[@taleforquill]

I'm 23, turning 24 this year. My parents did very much warn me about stranger danger, even online. Even in the Netherlands, I grew up with the stories of Alicia Kozakiewicz and Amanda Todd which warned of online predators and online bullying. But I think what was missing from that conversation are the parasocial and hierarchical aspects that come with KZbinrs. I was taught to be wary of creepy old men on forums and chatrooms, not content creators I admired and aspired to be like. And I don't think kids these days are taught that either. These are people they think they know because they've watched so much of their content. One of my favourite creators as a kid was Cryaotic. He seemed like a nice guy. I watched his videos to calm down during anxiety attacks. I even talked to him on his Tumblr a few times. Nothing creepy ever happened, but knowing what I know now, it fills me with a sense of dread anyway. And I think kids should be told over and over again that they do not know these KZbinrs. At all. A content creator making you laugh through a video isn't the same as that person being nice. That, and parents should be more aware of what their child is doing. My parents told me about Alicia and Amanda, but still gave me unmonitored internet access. So as a 12 year old, I was still on Omegle trying to find my favourite KZbinrs and sending them messages on Tumblr. My parents didn't really understand the internet and they still don't. But I hope that, as millenials and Gen Z (people who did grow up with the internet) are starting to have kids, that issue will hopefully go away with time. And that they will know to be vigilant and what to look out for.

[@bykremi]

It's a scary world we live in. We are surrounded by wolves in sheep's clothing who do unthinkable things behind closed doors. They pretend to be likable, feminist, and trustworthy. And honestly, that's worse. If they didn't mask themselves so well, we would be able to sense it out and stay away, but since they have learned to blend in and say all the right things, people end up suffering from their actions. It's disgusting and terrifying at the same time.

[@Hyopomora]

I’m glad somebody else noticed something off about MrBeast because I felt like I have been going crazy for all the time I’ve seen him around. like he just gives me the ick and everyone else is like “no no he does charity. He’s so nice”. Yeah uhm I don’t see it.

[@RachelOates]

Yes! And I hated when people got mad at I think her name was Rosanna? when she pointed out what a little biased boys club he has. I 100% believed her.

[@warlordofbritannia]

If something seems too good to be true, that’s because it is. Anyone who cultivates such an extremely wholesome persona only raises my suspicions.

[@Hyopomora]

@@warlordofbritanniaexactly! But anyone who questions it gets shouted down

[@Sableagle]

@@Hyopomora Didn't Jimmy Savile do a lot of charity stuff too?

[@Hyopomora]

@@Sableagle oh im honestly not sure, I don’t know who that is

[@swandaley]

I really appreciate the solutions you're providing.

[@Pweips]

I think the most disturbing to me was Onision. Cause I was blinded and was watching his content and I liked him. When I realized how much of an abuser he was I was shocked.

[@valolafson6035]

I think the role does attract predators. But also the toxic 'stan culture' and the lack of critical thought it requires.

[@mystikalkandle]

I'm pretty young and luckily we had multiple lessons about not talking to weirdos on the internet, don't share personal info online and that stuff. Although we should've gotten them a few years earlier, I've already talked to a predator online but I realised it pretty quickly and blocked and reported the guy. That shouldn't have needed to happened.

[@lowbatterylifestyle7025]

I loved your idea about KZbin giving advice on how to appropriately interact with fans. Perhaps they could also do something to give people who need help a little guidance on how to get that. I’m not sure how it would work, but it seems like a responsible way to respond to a problem that is regularly occurring within their platform.

[@JennaEmbers]

I kid you not, every time I’d go out dancing I’d see predatory behavior on young women and I’d have to intervene to stop it. Every. Single. Time.

[@XavielArt]

Its important to note alot of these grooming situations happened before the KZbinrs and influencers became famous. People often think that fame is what causes people to go after these young mfs, which is a stupid assumption once you realize how many non-famous school teachers get caught with their students.

[@KalebCorvid]

I think a massive issue, and probably a major contributing factor to this, is that there are barely any spaces online that are specifically for kids. I was born in the 90s. We barely had any social media as we know it today. We had things like NeoPets, Club Penguin. Kids tv channels often had websites with flash games and message boards where kids could chat with others their own age. Now? Every platform is this weird mishmash of content geared for teen/adult audiences, but forced to abide by rules that were designed to "keep kids safe", which censor creators to hell and back. KZbin can be a perfect example. Videos and content dealing with important serious topics are demonitised and supressed, theres an entire alternate language forming in order to avoid "The Almighty Algorithm™️", and the message gets lost. On the other hand, you have these creeps who make videos designed to appeal to kids and young audiences, but who use that platform for the absolutely wrong reasons. I don't have solutions. Just observations. But as someone who has younger family members who are navigating this weird online space, i have a front row seat to the problems that have come up in the last few years

[@Dave102693]

All of this

[@dontquestionmysearchhistory]

You are brave for stepping in between those men and the girls, it's so scary to speak up or even approach people like that. You are brave and you probably made those two girls feel so much safer. Trust me even those little things can help people so much.

[@ladymeow1226]

I too have concerns about the amount of predators. I'm a survivor myself. I fear there is far more predators n survivors than we can imagine. N it's horrifying

[@chelseycurry8960]

Harmful social standards are also something to mention. For example, one of my high school friends favourite movies was Lolita. She was 15/16 at the time. Society normalised young teens being pursued by older people. Older people showing interest was seen as a “compliment.” In time, age and knowing better, the generations have realised… oh wait, I was used and abused.

[@soy.sauce.latte.]

I personally think predators are, sometimes subconsciously attracted to these public jobs bc it usually makes them look good in a community, it gives them access to kids and power over ppl, so they start feeling invincible. That's why so many of the school staff turn get uncovered as predators.

[@georgymc]

Glad you covered this! Thank you for pushing through even if your videos get suppressed. Also you look so cute in this video 😊

[@dramonmaster222]

Honestly, I think the entertainment industry is full of predators and I am glad that victims are speaking out.

[@writinggeekforlife4465]

I think it's important to say this isn't just celebrities (youtubers included in this), as you mentioned in your video, this is happening everywhere. I've personally reported one former friend and abandoned three others this year. This is a huge and disgusting trend. I do feel thankful that I've never had to explain myself to anyone I've confided in about this. Everyone has been very understanding and also cut people off. But it's been horrific to have to re-experience my personal history with this abuse every few months.

[@mronewheeler]

I think sexual attraction to children and teens is way more common than we think and youtubers just happen to have better access to and power over children, as well as be a lot more interesting to expose than some random pedo on a street corner. Like hearing that Cody Ko (in a legal sense) raped a teenager will drive clicks more than hearing that John Smith at 256 Golden Terrace Drive raped a teenager. So youtubers are proportionally as likely to be pedos as anyone else (and I think it's more common than you'd think) and way more likely to be exposed for it. But that's ultimately just my guess

[@maurile]

Thanks!

[@aspenarty5453]

I'm 23 but I've been told consistently I look 14-17 and I felt uncomfortable around men much older than me I can't imagine what real 14-17 year olds feel like why can't adults just like adults man

[@scoutharris8586]

I found your points really interesting and meaningful that added to the discussion instead of just "ohoho boy another ytuber was found to do something awful and it was sorta reported but no one believed the victim/they were too young to recognize they were being groomed/taken advantage of. Also, your lipstick is really gorgeous on you and I want to know the brand! I also love dark bold lipsticks because I have permanent stains on my teeth due to early childhood malnutrition and I like that the darker colors make my teeth seem whiter.

[@MidnightChimey]

Unfortunately my generation and kids who grew around the time social media platforms like KZbin were first emerging were taught pretty much that if someone is going to be a predator, it would be some random anon nobody prowling a chat room somewhere.

[@YaGirlGumption]

I am in fact new here! my friend recommended me to you and that lipstick is absolutely lovely~

[@RachelOates]

Thank you to you and your friend!! :)

[@RealLukeWilson]

More and more these days, I think about wisdom written by the late, great Douglas Adams, and the one I always come back to the most is (paraphrased): “anyone who wants to be president isn’t qualified, and anyone who’s qualified doesn’t want it.” And I think this extends to anyone who wants a position of influence in any shape or form. It’s why most influencers are basically just clout chasers without any real purpose; their only goal was always just to be famous. And then they use that fame to exploit and abuse others for selfish gains.

[@kiwicress]

This lipstick with your hair and makeup are a beautiful combo 😍

[@jimin8006]

Isn’t there that Dutch predator that is at olympics too?

[@user-mv5zt8qd9l]

Don't know about the identity, but when I walked into the lounge the other morning my mother was watching a morning talk show with the headline "child rapist competing at Olympics," so there's definitely some athlete with a record (who I won't dignify with learning their name)

[@NFSMAN50]

Very informative video Rachel! Thank you for your perspective on this. This is a serious issue indeed. I appreciate you lots!

[@Sarah-re7cg]

I think this goes beyond KZbin. There’s always been a sketchy thing with any famous or influential person and “groupies” for lack of a better word, especially underaged ones.

[@lololpoppy]

There has been some talk at my sons school about parasocial relationships in their IT and PSHE lessons. I’m so grateful for that, it’s a hard conversation to have. I just wish online public figures would stop telling their audiences ‘love you guys so so much’ you can convey appreciation without telling people you don’t know how much you love them.

[@ThePerceptionTrainersPT]

Sending you a huge hug!! Love all your thoughts, thank you for being a voice of reason in this world

[@christabeard983]

My teen girls have told me about rumors of predators of all ages at the water park. I’ve told them to yell and get elbows out if someone touches them. I keep my eyes open for creeps all the time because they are everywhere. Usually yelling “Sir!?” will interrupt them and stop the creep. Good for you to interfere with the dance floor creeps. Hope those gals pay it forward in the years to come.

[@danielbloomquist9810]

It baffles me that the unspeakable fiends of the world STILL haven't figured out that we live in the information age. In this epoch, if you get up to some shady shit along the information superhighway, being exposed is not a matter of if, but when.

[@azurekuzma3598]

I honestly think a big factor is simply the power dynamic. A normal person may go online and ask for pictures or videos and normally.. theyre most likely denied. But for influencers and celebrities. The people they ask feel obligated or honored in some way? So it's honestly just so much easier to access. That in my opinion definitely factors in.

[@MiketheNerdRanger]

At this rate, "Not Like Us" is *never* leaving rotation. Funny enough, all this started coming forward after that song came out.

[@happytofu5]

Omg its so cool to see you in this green top and green pillows as I wear a green top today as well and am slowly turning myself and my surroundings into a forest landscape 💚

[@nancycollins4109]

Predators go where the prey is.

[@RosyEos]

Solid, terrifying commentary. Thank you for the measured introspection you bring to this.

[@SB-qx5xz]

Recently, I dunno where, I heard that it is more about being given the opportunity, rather than any sexual desire. Kids are just clueless.

[@peachkitt]

i’m for sure doing the same reevaluating of my own experiences. i don’t want to get into it publicly but over the past year-ish (more like past few months i’ve been coming to terms with it) i’ve realized as a young kid i was abused by a cousin of mine. don’t really know what to do about it as i’m 21 now. feeling a lot of weird shame and anger as well as weird memories finally resurfacing. i really appreciate your input on this and that we’ve been holding more creeps accountable lately. love your vids

[@aspenANDcatelin]

I agree that it’s weird that Taylor swift dated guys in their late teens in her early 20s but I believe harry was 18 and she was 22, Taylor lautner was 17-18 and she was 19-20. Still weird but I don’t think it was as large of a gap as you stated

[@celestialbunny]

taylor lautner is not that wierd. it's literally a two year or even ONE year difference and i personally dont believe there's a humoungous mentality between the two ages to justify calling it weird

[@MiniMeags]

@@celestialbunnythere’s also no where near the amount of issues in the relationship with Harry either. He was closer to 19 than 18 and she was 22, almost 23. They were also most likely not genuinely together either. Considering that if any other 18/22 year olds were dating it would be considered normal, it’s disappointing for Rachel to just come for Taylor and talk about a “pattern of behaviour” that doesn’t exist. There’s certainly creepy aspects to her relationship with Connor but I believe he was also 18 and she was also 22. The last age gap she was older in was with Harry. If you’re above 18, and dating someone considered in their early 20s, I don’t really see much of an issue. There’s also a cultural difference between her being American and him being British, he was recently legal to drink in the UK, she was also recently legal to drink in her home country. Age of consent in the UK and most places is around 16, except in America and some other places (state dependent) So that was completely legal. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Sure there was creepy shit she did but I wish people would call her out with facts instead of misinformation.

[@SophisticatedSophistry]

I think if schooling didnt just end at 18 and university was just a part of everyones lives alot of these problems would organically sort themselves out. Having people not just become abandoned the moment they turn 18 and moving forward along with their generation would blanket cover a lot of the problems in the non-social media front.

[@Emma-Queenofhell]

I think the lipstick looks good. Also, your hair looks nice red to black. When did that happen?

[@RachelOates]

Thanks! Just yesterday - it’s a purple dye, turned out a little darker than I expected but it’s a nice change :) will likely fade a bit over the next few washes too

[@Emma-Queenofhell]

​@RachelOates, thank you, and your talent with cosmetics has always amazed me.

[@anthropomorphicpeanut6160]

I think it really suits you! ​@@RachelOates

[@soyevquirsefron990]

“Dark mode” Rachel is equally cool

[@Sableagle]

@@RachelOates It looks good, and I am looking forward to your review of The Sisters Of Mercy's greatest hits. 😉 (Personally, I prefer the longer versions with Ofra Haza to the short originals, but don't tell the purists that!)