YouTube, Stop Letting Parents Exploit Their Children

[@yepitsjilly]

the way her son was saying “mom i’m *actually* crying” was so sad …

[@drock9009]

It was very sad!!

[@kazimiraz-zaxel5240]

it's got to be abuse like

[@somedude172]

ive seen this clip several times and i genuinely have to skip through that part. that sentence breaks my fkn heart, and to see *his own mother* not even flinch just makes me enraged to an unhealthy degree. i just want to break through the screen and hug the hell out of that baby :(

[@caspectre]

its just sad that he has to tell her he's not being fake and she just, ignores it??

[@squidneythesquid2487]

That will definitely be brought in therapy later in life… so traumatic

[@bella-rz5ps]

i genuinely feel so bad for these children. i would hate having my childhood online. it’s sad to see people prioritize their content over their child’s mental health

[@scarxiett2998]

I can see your point. 🤠

[@bella-rz5ps]

@@scarxiett2998 yeah like in the beginning of this whole thing i was like i don’t know it’s not THAT bad but then i think about how i was as a child and if this was me hell nah i’ll pass

[@elliejelly8815]

I don’t even like that my parents posted pictures of me on their facebooks, I don’t like when friends of my parents pop up and say “hey ashly” like I’m supposed to know my parents Facebook friends or some shit

[@clownshark_]

Right like Ethan and Hila of H3 started blurring Theodores face in family photos they post because hes starting day care and stuff.

[@scarxiett2998]

@@bella-rz5ps agreed

[@melissashilkoff]

It could also mess with the child's memory. This little girl might actually think later in life that her dad really did do that to her.

[@belladerose8867]

right? it must be so confusing for them, to experience a staged traumatic situation, to possibly not know what’s real vs fake

[@oscarthagrouch]

exactly……

[@Aeunax123]

How though? If she’s ever confused she can just watch the video lmao

[@ira__s]

@@Aeunax123 yeah sure she can but to have the memory of going through this can be really traumatic. Especially for such a young kid who can have false memories. Sure she can check it but it could leave trauma anyway. And I'd be really disturbed if I had a video of my dad pranking he gave me a black eye. So messed up

[@Aeunax123]

@@ira__s but the memory would be of her getting makeup put on her eye … like y’all know he didn’t actually hit the little girl, right? Like could she be troubled about being front row seat to her parents arguing over “a lie she told w daddy” or something? Sure. But the black eye fake memory would have to be quite literally entirely fabricated which is pretty unlikely..

[@stardoogalaxie9314]

"she's crazy!" And apparently she has reason to believe that her spouse would hit her daughter to the point of a black eye, that she defaulted to "yep I can see him hurting my daughter, time to throw hands" instead of "freak accident." Thats 100 percent mama bear.

[@fairytalearts810]

just to check. you know nick wasn’t being serious when he said that, right? I’m hoping you were referring to the video he reacted to

[@kaylala4695]

@@fairytalearts810 the original commenter was referring to what the husband said about his wife being crazy, they knew nick was joking lol

[@ZachPlum]

Are you dumb enough to think she’s not in on the “prank”

[@stardoogalaxie9314]

@@ZachPlum sure! Silly me, giving kids black eyes is just a random occurrence that hardly happens! Its not as of he paired it off with calling his wife crazy, which is totally not a red flag.

[@fairytalearts810]

@@kaylala4695 thanks for the clarification! I’m not good with detecting tones on text :’)

[@sarahb5464]

The man who "pranked" his daughter's black eye actually scared me. Saying he doesn't hit his daughter, then backtracking on that, thinking that anything related to child abuse would be funny, calling the mom crazy in front of her daughter, and the the fact that the mom actually believed he harmed their daughter, really point to some type of abuse in that house. And this is just what he's comfortable filming and putting out for the public to see...

[@JanieBee]

These pranks need to die. Who would ever think "pregnant wife murdered prank" "domestic violence prank" is good and funny content???

[@ollieno971]

EXACTLY

[@LammasDeluge]

Also, it really seemed like the little clips he showed of her "being crazy" were really just moments when she found out he was filming her without her consent and was trying to get him out of her face. The second clip she explains "You're recording me?!" like she had no idea he was recording her in her own bathroom.

[@_emory]

However light his “pats” are, he even says his intention is to make her scared. I’m not saying people should be sheltered from fear their entire lives but a parent’s job isn’t to instill fear and children that fear their parents grow up in stunted ways

[@VHSGXRL]

"I don't hit my kid but-"

[@jules-wd3cs]

this is so emotionally damaging to these kids they shouldn’t be treated like content machines :(

[@Orangelover-yo8gn]

The saddest part is that their parents don’t even see them as individuals who might have their own thoughts and feelings. They just see them as extensions of themselves that they can make money off of

[@susanna5506]

@@Orangelover-yo8gn they probably had children for their own ego, it's soooo sad. Some people should never be parents

[@AaronYorkYT]

I get the idea that this kid has tried to have sincere moments with his mom so many times and it just hasnt happened once.

[@d48731]

This really hurts my heart.

[@crazyowlgirlcncowner]

The way he said, "I AM crying!!!" He probably wanted her to recognize that he really WAS having a hard time and that he needed genuine emotional support but nooo, she couldn't just do that for him, could she?

[@sugarrookieart]

whoa this makes my heart hurts alot :( ugh

[@snakes7303]

@@crazyowlgirlcncowner nope, she just MUST record every moment of her child’s life, even when he obviously just wants his mom to acknowledge his emotions..

[@pariszee3011]

That part made me so sad like he was so sad and just wanted his mom and she just wanna clicks for KZbin 🙁

[@spongiformencephalitis]

as a psychological researcher, i have a list of “topics to research 10 yrs from now”. this particular trauma is one of them

[@Mila-Rosa]

I'm curious about another topic too.... How will the kids and teens watching videos on TikTok with firsthand videos about the war in Ukraine be impacted? It's got to affect them somehow to be scrolling through and seeing a house get bombed all of a sudden or similar videos. Granted, not as much as actual Ukrainians are affected, but still.

[@KawaiiGlitterful]

im really curious on in these specific videos too - how these ‘pranks’ can affect the child psychologically. to be told by one parent to act in front of the camera, see the other parent falling for the prank, getting pissed at the other parent, only to find out theres a camera so its all fake. especially in this video the one video about the black eye, when the nature of the prank is something not to be joked with. unlike hiding a woopie cushion under someones chair. not sure how to word it but u know what i mean? i wonder how itll affect them in the future telling whats real and whats fake, or how it can affect their memory of their childhood. a lot to unpack in that category alone

[@ghandinotsenpai9135]

would definitely read that study

[@Jukajobs]

what else is on the list? just out of curiosity

[@spongiformencephalitis]

@@Jukajobs one idea is to measure the facial processing skills of ppl who are age 0-5ish during the pandemic. i suspect not being able to be exposed to human faces as much may impact their facial processing abilities developmentally, since the window for those skills skews so young

[@RyanBeard]

I’ve always wondered why child labor is seen as okay as long as a child is making a movie or a KZbin video. I don’t think the solution is to stop allowing children to ever be in movies or KZbin videos, but it is still child labor, but I guess the argument is that if the child is doing what they love then it’s…not labor? I guess the only solution would be to only have children do entertainment when they genuinely want to, but like…how would you legally reinforce that? It’s such a tough question.

[@thebadpoet]

There actually aren’t many protections in place for children working in a family business. An eleven year old can man the register at a mom and pop grocery store, or sweep or bus tables at a family restaurant. KZbin videos feel like they land in a weird spot for that, since they are both sort of a family business and also entertainment. And there are very strict rules in place intended to protect children working in film, tv, theater, etc. But basically, current child labor laws don’t apply to family vlog channels. Child endangerment laws should, though!

[@stacie1595]

I think the best they can do is enforce work/life balance. Children in movies can only work so many hours in a day and are required to have breaks for play and studying. I think expanding that to KZbin may be difficult but they should consider placing restrictions on locations and hours. Things like no footage of children in their bedrooms or in a bathroom, no footage of children taken during sleeping hours, etc. At least then the kids can find privacy in some spaces.

[@oki.k]

You're totally right, and it gets really complicated when a camera and an audience is involved. I think a lot of those issues have to do with the parents and the money they recieve, and they end up neglecting their child to get more.

[@batbotvods875]

also in sports kids can be payed for winning competition or just for performing. i got payed to preform circus when i was 8 and there were no regulations or anything i had to go through depite how dangerous the sport is (not saying anything bad abt circus i love it but its intresting to think abt)

[@inkeri2741]

I think parents should not be able to make money from videos about their kids

[@jazz1282]

Emphasizing the “law of attraction” to children is a form of mental abuse. Imagine telling kids that by thinking something negative or having a negative emotion (sad, angry, frustrated) that is their fault that their dog died. That combined with the monetization of their child’s emotions is something that KZbin needs to seriously crack down on.

[@grace-4105]

Yep! Completely dismisses any natural, 'negative' emotions the child feels. What if the child is anxious about an exam, tries hard but struggles in school so they fail? Would that be the child's negative thoughts? It's such an awful idea to tell a child. Or if they think "what if my parents get divorced" because they argue a lot... and then they do. "Law of attraction" would reach the child that their negative thoughts had a part to play. Feeling worried, anxious, sad, angry are all very natural feelings. It's way better for kids and adults to acknowledge those feelings, be honest about them and learn to deal with them in healthy ways. This whole thing bothers me soo much!

[@jumpingfrog740]

i agree, however it’s not inherently wrong to teach kids about the LOA. i grew up with a kind and caring mother who taught me about the LOA, she just made sure to validate my emotions and feelings, and letting me know that ONLY THE THINGS that i want manifest . similar to hyler on youtube

[@grace-4105]

@@jumpingfrog740 Thanks for your perspective, your Mum sounds lovely. I have no doubt people with different parenting styles and outlooks can be caring and wonderful ❤ My comment was more in response to this style, encouraging the child to stop crying and "repeat after me", rather than thinking positively (or praying if you're religious) and letting the child feel those feelings. I hate the idea of ever telling a child not to cry, little boys especially are told that enough.

[@Katiethewizard]

@@jumpingfrog740 The thing with kids though, is that if you aren't realistic with them about the important stuff they grow to distrust you when the things they manifest don't happen. If you are repeating to your child that your dog is healthy and will be okay and then that ends up not being the case, the child feels like you lied to them and is even more distraught. If you continuously do this again and again for their whole childhood, eventually they'll feel like they can't trust you at all

[@gremlinwc8996]

But KZbin won't. Don't worry though, dislikes are off to protect the creators, whom definitely are asking for it. So glad KZbin listens to its community

[@windy2075]

"I'm going to be giving her a black eye and see her mothers reaction. It should be hilarious!" Oh yes, making the mother of your child believe you physically abused her defenseless infant is so funny! Yknow, the traumatic and terrifying thing many families in real life experience being mocked and reduced to light humoured prank is my favourite type of content, and isnt the mother so ridiculous taking the safety of her child seriously smh /s

[@PlayerTenji95]

She needs to divorce him, like deadass.

[@JanieBee]

My faith in humanity is depleting....why cant we just erase money

[@jermaenjoyer]

Right!!!! Also the tone indicator is v appreciated, I haven't seen them for awhile even with difficult-to-understand sentences so jus wanted to thank u:)

[@windy2075]

@@jermaenjoyerthanks, I'm glad it was helpful :)

[@asimp1827]

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[@gamagoori]

my blood is boiling at that husband LAUGHING at his wife being mad that he faked abusing their infant child. i'd leave any man who thought my anger was funny/not to be taken seriously, much less a man that thought JOKING ABT ABUSING OUR CHILD was funny. she needs to divorce him yesterday

[@cats1970]

That video truly should be enough to grant divorce. Depending on the judge it could grant full custody too. But that all disappears when the mother just goes along with it like it’s a normal thing to do

[@nospoonfulofmayonnaiseforme]

Same, I'd be calling the authorities and getting out. This is so confusing for the child and weakens trust.

[@gaslight.gatekeep.girlboss6476]

I'd leave him so fast and taking the kids. That's so sick

[@telecasterbgirl]

parent channels are seriously one of the most sick things on youtube. we know that child stars do not turn out mentally well, so in a few years we will see a wave of youtube children with the same fate…

[@banah1031]

true

[@ohmyyy2965]

Lets hope that the rest of society can also learn a lesson in just leaving them alone.

[@dreamyanon5151]

KZbin children are going to be 10x worst. I can already see it. While child stars are overexposed, at least people are clearly seeing an *acting performance* , people know the kids are acting and it's not actually them being exposed to public. whereas this is a complete invasion of privacy and they are too young to create boundaries. Child stars are a business gone wrong, this is plain abuse.

[@spookyho5994]

I really hope these kids are gonna be okay, its really sad to see them also not having an actual support system most of the time.

[@juliasaturn]

That mother forcing her son to say the dog was gonna be fine just made me so upset. That toxic positivity/law of attraction mindset just is so harmful and borderline delusional

[@juliasaturn]

Also it’s very much so invalidating how her son feels which is also harmful and wrong

[@bdaarmy9736]

Especially the way she was saying it, really aggressive.

[@dani_drawzz]

Unrelated, but I hate when teachers do this as well…

[@Glitterrattrap_]

This is why I personally prefer law of assumption, you can manifest while being sad as fuck, and depending on the parent, if they really know what they are talking about then they wouldn't be invalidating anyone's emotions.

[@Cloud_Dreamer7]

As someone raised on the prosperity Gospel I can attest to how mentally damaging it can be

[@anyrija.]

wow nick, how did you know i am a greasy little green guy?

[@ajearlywine4622]

I thought I was the only one

[@Random_loaf_of_bread]

Your pfp is fun

[@anyrija.]

@@Random_loaf_of_bread ty ty. i only speak truth

[@windy2075]

We tried man but you just thought the intervention was a minimalist early birthday party

[@yabadabadeenation]

I am a greasy little green guy aswell,!

[@kinsey7894]

I want to add: I seriously doubt that any of these kids will ever be financially compensated for their work. I seriously doubt that the parents are putting aside portions of the video profits to give to their kid once they’re old enough to have a bank account. This isn’t only an issue of morality, it’s also one of child labour.

[@Chuckles-9838]

Yes, I’ve been saying that about Ryan’s world for so long, he is just a product to every adult involved as they pump out videos on like five channels and make him into a toy, an animated character, and even a mobile game.

[@alexia3552]

I can definitely see the default attitude being "well you got to live in this $10 million mansion your whole childhood!" when they actually mean "I took YOUR money and spent it how I wanted to, and you do not even get to keep the house I bought with your money."

[@Thil]

Lord knows these parents will be saying stuff like "I fed you for 18 years, you're not getting anything"

[@RathouseFilmworks]

It'll get worse once he becomes the voice of Peppa Pig against his will.

[@Waspinmymind]

There isn’t a Union for KZbin kids. There a child’s union for children actors. We can talk how well or poorly it works later. But KZbin completely lacks this resource.

[@seshg2012]

Exactly!! Child actors also benefit from laws that require their earnings to be put in a trust outside of their parents' control until they turn 21. These youtube kids are not going to see a cent of the money their parents are making off of them.

[@beccasalts6294]

@@seshg2012 and child actors can separate their work life from their home lives, but these kids probably wake up every morning wondering if their parents are gonna film them brushing their teeth or something.

[@amusedbug7289]

Children being on KZbin videos with their parents is weird, especially the family channels. the kids just end up embarrassing themselves and having to live with that.

[@katherine__obvious]

as if that isn't bad enough, a lot of times it's the parents deliberately embarrassing their kids for the sake of content

[@peachseob94]

@@katherine__obvious the fact that you have to remember that kid will still have to go to school and stuff..

[@KingOfGaymes]

Not to mention creeps watching the videos.. it’s so gross

[@mikayla7260]

I couldn’t imagine having my embarrassing moments growing up being documented and put online with hundreds of thousands of people see and probably thousands laughing at me in the comments.

[@amusedbug7289]

man everyone makes really good points- I feel so bad for kids on KZbin. I feel like KZbin shouldn’t let kids on there, or more like family channels. Ofc there’s the good ones but there should be a way to make them all ‘good’. Like disabling their comments, or not anything like the ‘giving my daughter a black eye prank”.

[@mdg0307]

The emotional damage that these kids go through with these "pranks". Kids do not have the ability to differentiate like that. All that poor girl saw was her mom and dad arguing and putting her in the middle. She has no understanding that this is a stupid joke. You don't do this to your children!!

[@crazyowlgirlcncowner]

Exactly! That made me so sad. Also, the name of the channel itself was so off to me. like, they're actively contributing to the fetishization of their daughter just because she is blasian. It's gross on all angles. She's just an item to them, not a child.

[@alexia3552]

Yes, 100%! Kids takes things literally, and even if you explain it to them and they're "oh, haha.." that traumatic emotional moment is still burned into their psyche. They'll still feel it.

[@CeceJianni]

This is horrible. I can't imagine being so emotionally disconnected from my own child that I would disregard the seriousness of their feelings this way. This was hard to watch.

[@zorriez]

it makes my heart hurt….the poor kid is actually hurting over this and she is just cold….that disconnect is so scary):

[@_letstartariot]

If my husband did the ‘I gave our 5mo baby a black eye’ prank, I’d throw him in the trash. And my husband agreed that that’s where he’d belong if he ever thought THAT was a good idea.

[@catss3288]

He sounds like a good husband

[@madsp3139]

i knew a girl who once held her baby out of a car window for a video, they weren’t properly driving but still some parents just shouldn’t be allowed to have kids

[@gremlinwc8996]

There needs to be like parenting licenses and stuff

[@myishenhaines1706]

Nick, this is definitely child abuse. You are right. I wouldn’t say her child needs to be taken away for this, but if more is happening behind the scenes that’s so scary. I’m a child abuse survivor from the 90s before social media…but I was paraded via disposable cameras. “Smile” even when I’m crying. “Model these clothes for the camera” even when I’m crying. I was verbally, physically and S abused, and my caregivers were very much “fake concerned”. They would pretend to be upset or sad then show their true self behind closed doors. 😡 And that fu*king father?!?! My father DID give me nose bleeds from punching my face. He sent me to emergency surgery due to him punching my face with I was 8. Now HE might need to be looked into. Cause….that’s not…normal. 😡😡😡

[@crazyowlgirlcncowner]

I'm sorry you had to go through that. That dad's idea for content is so incredibly insensitive, and I can't help but think that it normalizes abuse among families and may lead the other children who watch the family vlog content to think it's okay. The little girl also has got to feel stress from seeing her parents constantly yell at each other in front of her when they argued. Also, from the clips they showed it seems the mom is prone to yell at him and throw things at him, so there's that, too. Who knows what else happens that the mom either feels the need to defend herself or that she is inclined towards violence in the first place.

[@myishenhaines1706]

@@crazyowlgirlcncowner Exactly. And yes, it totally normalizes child abuse, just like the movie industry. And you’re right to think something probably going on more than what we saw from the mother. She probably does get upset if he doesn’t perform. Cause at the end of the day….we have no idea how many “takes” these family channels do before the one they post. We don’t know how or if things are rehearsed for countless hours, behind the scenes. And we all know how sinister the Internet is. Yet these families are out here showing their child vulnerable, and even sometimes have dressed. I don’t understand how being wealthy is worth the price of their child potentially getting abducted, for them. It makes me sick cause we all know how easily people get doxed. 🤢

[@biggestastiest]

@@crazyowlgirlcncowner i think that shitty people that are already wanton to hit their kids will do so anyway, but normalization of it via media definitely tells them that they won't face as many consequences, and that they shouldn't feel ashamed or guilty afterwards (for the ones that do)

[@indie_lover]

@@myishenhaines1706I’m so sorry you had to go through that shit. I hope your doing better now. ❤️

[@katyawc]

I don't use tiktok but I saw one of this mother who was incessantly spraying her kids' hair with water, which seems harmless, but the person in the video was explaining how you're literally teaching your kid that their words don't matter, they can say no and stop a billion times but because it's for content, the mother doesn't stop. It just reminds me of being a kid and being the scape goat of the family. I remember screaming and crying for my family, my brother in particular, to stop teasing me and making fun of me for being emotional. Now as an adult I have trouble saying no and setting boundaries and I can't help but feel it's because my family constantly broke down my boundaries in the name of "teasing". You shouldn't be teaching your kid to manipulate his emotions for a thumbnail, I can't even think of how that can mess up your perception of emotions

[@pbpa1nrose113]

I found that kids whose boundaries keep being push during their childhood, have a harder time understanding the concept of consent. As you said it’s hard saying no or reject someone..

[@jetpacksfortheneedy]

Went through the exact same thing as you and it made me so susceptible to manipulation and abuse because I didn’t think my boundaries mattered. I’m with you. ❤️

[@kunpunko]

went through the same thing :(

[@drowningpicses5015]

as a dad, how can you even type in “i gave my daughter a black eye” with a picture of you on the thumbnail and post it

[@smoghuffer20XX]

Those types of parents probably see their children as a money machine.

[@corrinnesnyder]

honestly i don’t think children should be put online at all until they can consent to having their face on the internet

[@sarahlaurent62]

Yes I hope that soon enough KZbin (or even a law if there's need to be one) can come up with a clear definition of when a kid can be online and what they can do in videos. In my opinion, there should be an age below which content which heavily features a kid who cannot comprehensively consent to their presence on camera should be demonetized. I'm not sure what the age should be though, like at least 12/13?

[@manavarunaravind4290]

Like even if they consent it is still kinda problematic in a way like they are still a kid and maybe some kids who get filmed hv been led to believe or genuinely believe that being filmed and famous is good they are not mature enough to even take a decision on it Ppl should just hv the basic ethic of not putting kids on the internet And by kids I mean ages around 5-13 Beyond that I can atleast see how someone can wholeheartedly agree

[@dreamyanon5151]

Exactly. Even on Instagram (although people ignore it) the guideline is 13 and up. Although I think it should be 16+ or 18. They can't consent and it's really harmful and predatory. Besides, they just don't *need* to be online. I feel only exception is if they are doing something like an acting entertainment show for other kids that is managed by a corporation with guidelines and rules. It's awful that we can't do better for these kids.

[@UnagiTempura]

My family tries to get annoyed with me cause I refuse to put my babys pictures on Facebook, or let anyone else do it. "I want people to see my beautiful grandson 🥺" then show them his picture in person fool. I'm not putting his photos where even people I don't know can see it forever

[@hauscarnage]

exactly 😁 confused why he disagrees with kanye cause thats his whole point too.. sure he may b extreme but bc ppl put his mental illness in the limelight as well and blame him for that and think hes crazy which is very stigmatizing !

[@jennyneon]

Everything doesn't have to be recorded. That's what they never get.

[@maximummax7232]

"What's up my gang? Today we're going to be looking at the inside of my asshole with my doctor! We're going to be discussing my private medical details for your entertainment!"

[@elliondecoteau5985]

Im glad the mom got recorded. Gives me hope someone will make a case against her and get that poor boy out of there

[@Eyebrowking_kkslider]

The 8 Passengers is definitely one of the worst, if not the worst, family channel. They've filmed their kids crying, private talks such as puberty talks with their kids (with the children explicitly saying they don't want it filmed), they took away one of their beds for 6 months due to a prank they pulled on their sibling, left their six year old go hungry in school because packing lunch was apparently her responsibility (the mum also said she hopes no one feeds her), the mum was annoyed at one of the kids moving out and said on camera that it was because she no longer had control over them. This is just scratching the surface of all the stuff they've done, they're truely vile and shouldn't be allowed to have children, let alone a platform

[@strooli_]

yes!!!! i agree, they shouldnt have a platform. theyve been posting since the oldest one was like 5-7

[@averypham7874]

How this dated is crazy

[@lILunaticaIl]

imagine going through big emotional moments as a child and having your parents stick a camera in your face... genuinely makes me teary eyed i feel so sorry for these kids, they're gonna grow up with some serious issues

[@mimimusick9734]

This woman is literally grooming her own son. She's teaching him that adults get to do whatever they want with him and he has no choice but to obey. She's giving me Santé Kimes vibes. Some of these people need intervention from Social Services. When you stop seeing your child as a child who needs your love, care and attention, and instead see them as living dollar bills, you need to have a good long talk with yourself. I'm feeling some type of way because this reminded me of when I was little and my dad decided to randomly fire a gun in the air. I dived under the table, terrified, and when I peeked out he was grinning at me because he found my fearful reaction funny. He wasn't a very safe person to be around, his 'pranks' were more about making you feel sad, scared or humiliated for his own amusement. I regard these people with children (they don't deserve to be called parents) as just as toxic as my dad was.

[@briansupermega5692]

Wish people could use the term grooming properly. Ever. Abusive terminology turned into colloquialism.

[@princessofhell4639]

@@briansupermega5692 wdym

[@briansupermega5692]

@@princessofhell4639 Groom is being used incorrectly here.

[@SeymourDisapproves]

@@briansupermega5692 Grooming is a process where you manipulate someone to the point where they can be more easily victimized. How is that not what's happening here? This mother is taking advantage of her child's fragile emotional state to make him do what she wants. She's witholding the comfort and emotional connection that he needs in this moment until he does the little dance she wants him to do. Training a kid to think that it's okay to be treated like this and that their actual needs don't matter half as much as the desires of their "loved ones" is absolutely setting the stage for other manipulative and abusive relationships later in life. I don't see how "grooming" is being used incorrectly here.

[@ngotemna8875]

@@briansupermega5692 Just because the child isn't made into a sex slave at the end doesn't make it not grooming. The term grooming is used to describe what is done to a child *before* it's being (sexually) abused. It's being raised to not think that what is done to it is wrong, but very normal. Which is happening here

[@rhodelong1913]

The "gave my daughter a black eye prank" is going to affect the daughter's memory. My childhood was "giving my daughter a black eye prank" except there was no prank and my memory is shit because I was gaslight my whole childhood because I remembered the pain but my abuser remembers a different narrative.. now I have a difficult time with memory skills and I can only remember the WORST of my youth. This girl even tho she didn't get hurt (Thank God) will remember her mom's recation when yelling at her dad for "hitting her" and the girl might remember it as "yeah he did hit me, I remember mom being mad at him." She's too little to know what acting is and if she did know what acting is, there's no clear distinction between homelife and acting life. She won't remember her childhood clearly and it WILL affect her adult life. This shit is dangerous for kids and I'm so disgusted that some parents PROFIT off of ruining their kids mental capabilities.

[@yaboicolleen]

Oh godddddddd I didn't even think about that! That poor liitke girl :(

[@roseaeries]

I don’t know any child stars that thought them starting in media as young as they did was a good thing. I think family vlogging is worse. In my mind, the kids are always potentially in “work mode.” They won’t know where the division is between something being public domain versus their own personal life, because EVERYTHING is “up for grabs.” Edit: ALSO, as a result of the lines between reality and videos being blurred, I would bet many of these young kids don’t know the appropriate responses to situations or even their own emotions. Online videos are dramatized and the kids are more often than not very directed in their actions, probably very suddenly at times. It might be fine if the parents were very very patient and clear with the children off camera, or were very emotionally attentive, but I’m guessing 99.99% of the time that isnt the case.

[@d13_a]

yk I think it's a super interesting observation that these children won't know the difference between work hours and personal hours as they grow. School teaches you that for x hours a day you need to work with other children and learn, and then you go home & have your personal hours to rest. If they come home to a camera in their face and keep making money for their parents until their "night routine" is done and filmed, where are their personal hours???

[@marsgannon4891]

RE: The whole "KZbinr kids not knowing appropriate responses to situations"; holy shit I totally agree. I've thought abt this a lot and I could totally imagine these children growing up with no real understanding of their own emotions. I mean, obviously they still experience genuine joy and sadness and anger, and I'm sure their parents do as well, but when the camera is on their emotions are now a performance. And like, they have no control of when the camera IS on. Shit, that first clip with with the kid crying about their dog was very clearly a genuine display of sorrow, but now Mom is making him film, so his sorrow in this moment is just "for the viewers". I think for me personally it would become very difficult for me to understand and regulate my emotions if they didn't feel like MY emotions; they are just another thing to "give" the people watching. Fuck.

[@No-le8jm]

I didn’t grow up on camera but I grew up with parents like this and trust me it instills abusive norms into you and makes for many years of therapy in their future

[@Rachely24]

For the record, the lady from the dog video has recently come back to youtube and said that she will no longer have her child in her videos. I think she also removed any videos with him in it. Not saying that anyone has to forgive her, I really couldn't care less about this lady. But I just want to let everyone know that this child's life is in fact private again. (Who knows if she'll keep that promise though)

[@gremlinwc8996]

From this one clip alone I already don't forgive her. It's good that she isn't continuing to extort her child for money, but the fact that she can be so controlling and cold to a child and their emotions is absolutely disgusting.

[@Thil]

@@gremlinwc8996 couldn't agree more. Maybe she won't be shoving a camera in the kids face anymore, but the parenting style will stay the same; toxic positivity to the point where the child will feel like negative emotions are never valid and should be hidden. I've only seen this one clip but with this I can only imagine what else she does that will lead to the kid not understanding their own emotional boundaries

[@paul4archery]

just imagine being the kid in a few years time and saying; “hey mum, why did you put my meltdown on youtube?” “idk cash lol i’m so QUIRKY💕✨💘”

[@hello7032]

"people need to see that its okay to not be okay"

[@dboone7670]

"I'm not like other moms"

[@xporiia]

@TheCottonCandyBreedCreature preach

[@okaytessa2481]

Every time I see that clip, I get so upset. Like, for the obvious but also the toxic positivity and ~manifesting~ she's teaching her kid. Dogs hardly ever survive parvo. It's so cruel to get your kids hopes up like this instead of being honest with them and helping them feel their feelings. The exploitation is obviously much worse, but that part always pisses me off too. Also, you needing to google Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen to get their names right made me feel incredibly old. I do wanna say, as someone who was a kid during their peak, no one was concerned about them at the time. And then when they got older and MK had an ED and pretty clear SH scars, people who were so cruel. I remember it bc it messed with my head. I'm so glad that these conversations are happening now (I think it's more urgent than ever bc of YT though) but yeah, people have always treated child celebrities horribly.

[@princessofhell4639]

If it makes you feel any better I'm 17 and knew their names

[@okaytessa2481]

@@princessofhell4639 It does a little, thank you!

[@spongiformencephalitis]

this is child grooming regardless of the nature of the entertainment they’re being exploited to create. watching that kid’s mother force him to pose in the best way to capture his trauma & pain for others’ entertainment was chilling to me

[@chronicallyg0ne]

y’all learned the world “child grooming” and ran with it

[@mothboy420]

@@chronicallyg0ne fr

[@spongiformencephalitis]

@@chronicallyg0ne bruh ive been in intensive therapy for most of my adult life because of child grooming. i learned the term in therapy. because i was groomed into sexual abuse

[@chronicallyg0ne]

@@spongiformencephalitis ok???

[@spongiformencephalitis]

@@chronicallyg0ne its just rude of you to assume that i'm making this statement lightly- my comment means that i'm as concerned that these kids will be in intensive therapy all THEIR adulthoods because of this exploitation and grooming, EVEN THOUGH it isn't sexual. i'm making a point about the trauma of being exploited by adults as a child.

[@kaitlyn5866]

it’s even worse than hollywood because it’s in the child’s HOME. their parents aren’t just complacent in their abuse, they’re actively creating it, and there’s no escape for the child. it’s plain evil.

[@autisticninjaturtle]

the second "family" literally made me want to cry...it reminded me way too much of the abusive household i left years ago, the way the guy is just so casual about pretending that he's abusing his daughter for youtube clout, the way he said "she gets scared, she knows what it means"... this is fucking disgusting.

[@reiy8401]

i was a very sensitive child. imagine your dad convincing you to play a "prank" on your mom and then your parents are yelling at each other right in front of you. god i can't even put into words how scary/traumatizing/guilt-inducing that would be lol

[@inacatt]

The only time I feel these family channels with their kids online are okay *as far as we know* are the ones that are genuinely interested in making videos with their parents and create content that is age appropriate. I used to watch this lady who made lunches for her kids and they sometimes helped her make them or appear to talk about what they liked about their lunch, and that stuff seems fine to me. I still think it's not appropriate to show a child's face on the internet because it exposes them to creeps who might want to doxx or find those kids to hurt them. Otherwise I think it can be harmless, it's just most often that we see harmful content in these family channels.

[@duwudleshucks723]

this really reminds me of the Daddy O Five channel a few years back. i think it was the first family vlogging channel to actually be exposed for the awful shit they put their kids through, but also somehow paved the way for family channels to be what they are today. i rarely see anyone talking about them anymore and i definitely think there should be new discussion about it.

[@LovelyAnimals]

My take is: If you have a channel about lifestyle, cooking or parenting advice and your kids happen to be in some videos then that’s fine. But the moment a kid starts crying, throws a tantrum, is having a private moment or going through something dramatic you need to put the camera away, comfort them then later go back and delete any footage.

[@comment4317]

And also (imo) if you clearly differentiate between your public and personal life

[@LovelyAnimals]

@@comment4317 exactly. I see a few family channels that show natural and nice moments with their kids. Not having their kids act to cause drama.

[@beepbopp54]

The first woman is actually so disturbing… imagine being a child and feeling sad and upset, going to your MOTHER for comfort, and all she can do is bastardize your emotions for views as she gets you to pose for a thumbnail as you’re trying to process your emotions. Kids aren’t really able to be emotionally mature or even aware, and they go to an adult for help, and all they can do is point, laugh, and dismiss… smh

[@karaleigh_eva]

Allison Stoner talked about how being a child actor was traumatizing because of the way an undeveloped brain can’t differentiate very easily between play pretend and reality that well. And I can only imagine how traumatizing that would be for kids like this. To have to “play pretend” that they were being physically abused in their own house with their own parents I just…. Wow.

[@lillianritchie6661]

I do think there is a way to feature children in videos. For instance, Sierra Schultzzie is one example. She and her husband talk about how their rules and limitations in featuring their child on their channel (mostly the vlog channel). For one, their child doesn't play a huge role in the vlogs, it's mostly about Sierra's life and parenting rather than Grace (her daughter). She leaves out any vulnerable moments of grace and always has her husband watch back the clips including her, to make sure he agrees with what she's putting online. Additionally, they plan to always ask for her consent once she can verbally do so. So although Grace is featured in the vlogs it's always in a respectful manner and imo not in a damaging way.

[@persephones_favorite]

nah until they can consent its weird.

[@jessyjulie5506]

I'm not surprised she accidentally left it in. Its probably normal and she does it all the time. It's like when criminals get too comfortable and make mistakes.

[@aditiyamdagni]

i feel like these children would be haunted by these videos in their future which really sucks and it stops them from having a normal childhood :/

[@charlienotemily]

i love (hate) all the parents that defend themselves like "i never spank my kids, well i hit em a little sometimes :P" like what

[@VHSGXRL]

LITERALLY WHAT I THOUGHT 😨

[@juliakrantz346]

TW: SA mentioned. it also makes me think of how kids can be easily assaulted by others. If they are encouraged to lie during pranks and say something untrue to their parents people who know them can use that and tell the child this is a prank and something we shouldn't tell mommy or daddy.

[@gmc5618]

I agree, it takes away a child's perception of reality. As a CSA survivor I know firsthand pressure of not being able to understand what had occured and if it was okay and if I should talk about it. It's especially worrying as CSA often occurs within the family so if the parent is continually distorting reality it makes them even more vulnerable

[@Polarpeach1]

remember family of 5? I feel so fucking bad for those kids. Atleast one was taken away (thank god) but they were physically and mentally abusive to their kids and KZbin did nothing about it for the longest time

[@smoghuffer20XX]

Two of them, actually. As far as I know, they were the only ones adopted and they returned them to their biological parents. It’s not like the other three kids weren’t shown in problematic situations, but they partook in the abuse of those two.

[@Na-jx2vg]

"it doesn't matter how much you are educated on that, when you're in the moment it feels so hard to not feel sad." Maybe start by actually being in the moment? With your child? Who's crying and actually needs a parent to be there for him? Idk, just a thought.

[@gremlinwc8996]

It's especially fucked up because another comment said that the disease was usually fatal for dogs. So even if/though the dog survived, they were way more likely to die, so just going "stop crying they'll be fine" will make it way worse when the dog actually dies.

[@Na-jx2vg]

@@gremlinwc8996 thats a good point. death is already a hard concept for children to grasp at that age it would've been best if she just talked to him realistically about the situation and gave him time and space to express his feelings. watching this is just heartbreaking. I hope youtube does something about this in the future.

[@JanieBee]

Its gonna be so crazy to see all the tearful horror stories come out from these kids in another 10-15 years

[@leahnatalia4171]

I would really love to see youtubes restrictions become tighter on child safety but I don't see that happening anytime in the future.

[@IsaacClodfelter]

What if parents were just better instead of putting more guidelines that would only be applied to smaller channels and ignored by the channels that are making their living off of their kid.

[@gremlinwc8996]

KZbin moment

[@beatrix4519]

"mom I'm actually crying" that broke my heart even the kid recognizes how shity the situation is :(

[@Cove_Blue]

What it tells me is that she does terrible things so often on camera that at least 1 was bound to slip through

[@ryang9802]

my thoughts exactly.

[@mveroo]

I had to skip past the black eye part. I couldn't stomach seeing the confrontation of the "prank". God, so many people were just not MEANT to have kids.

[@teapartypenguin1353]

I don't think the mom did see anything wrong in what she did until she got backlash for it, which is why it didn't cross her mind to double check that that footage was taken out. Even the stuff she intended to leave in the video was pretty messed up. And just her tone as she's directing her kid is off too, like she's getting impatient that her GRIEVING CHILD isn't cooperating.

[@mariezens]

I work in a daycare center and whenever I talk to 6-12 year olds aboht KZbin they bring up how much they love certain family vlogs and it makes me so sad knowing that they’re too young to know they’re being lied to

[@zane2506]

Im young but i know family channels are bad and are exploitative

[@LeilaDandan]

i guess our child labor era is making a comeback

[@gremlinwc8996]

Billionaires are still doing pretty good as well, gilded age moment

[@carrlyrussell3372]

That poor kid in the first one, so worried about his dog. He’s so worried and heartbroken and his mom is just making him cry and then forcing him to “pretend to cry” when he’s saying he’s actually crying he’s like begging her to acknowledge that he’s actually upset and scared and she just cares about content. More than her dog, more than her son. I just. It’s disgusting and I hope all of these kids are okay and have a chance at a normal and happy life somehow.

[@toadfrommario]

thank you for blurring their faces, it's so gross that the parents aren't cognizant of the damage they are clearly doing to them. like they treat their kids like props fr

[@MyDancingShoes]

This kid from the first video is going to internalize that his feelings don't matter, he doesn't get to process them in his own way, and he will not be able to get emotional support from his parents. He was looking away at first because he was sad and scared, and when she kept telling him "Look at me" to chant the stupid thing, he obviously didn't want to and just wanted to cry and be comforted and hugged. When my parents did similar things to me as a kid, I felt scared and unsafe. I grew into an adult who didn't know how to self-soothe because my parents never taught me. It's deeply disturbing to watch.

[@AshleySchroeder25]

there have been so many instances in which it later came out that the parents were emotional/mentally/physically abusive. Hailey Elizabeth did a deep dive on the Ace Family and 8 Passengers Family vlogs that goes into more detail on the dangers that those kids are in

[@yeehaw4135]

I made a musically account when I was like 10 behind my parents back and posting a few videos to it and all these years later and people still tease me for them. They're not even that bad and I don't mind the teasing that much but it can get repetitive but like I can't imagine having my WHOLE childhood for millions to see. My account had like 6 videos that are mostly cringy because I was young and content on social media has changed a LOT since so no wonder most kids in family channels are homeschooled

[@willmax95]

Parents putting their kids at the front of their videos has always been weird, especially in these situations when its hurtful. It’s crazy youtube isnt doing anything to stop this. This extends beyond it being hurtful content to others. It can obviously trigger some peoples trauma too. Faking real life trauma can be just as bad sometimes if not worse

[@genossinwaabooz4373]

Exactly. I had to stop watching at 11:45 for that reason. Way worse than I thought this would be about.

[@shleymeister1231]

Nick, if you're going to call us anything, I request the green goblins

[@eatmorespiders]

There's a third type of parent influencer who just show their daily routines / tips for other parents and I think that's good! No children shown! We need more of that

[@leahshannon759]

Thank you! People need to make more videos on parent bloggers, it is so terrible. These kids have no voice on their public footprint and will have to deal with all of this when they are adults. Nothing can be personal anymore and it makes me sad. Real laws need to be put into place

[@astrowolvez]

There might not be studies for youtube, but movie and tv child stars, even actors who have a hood life now, talk about how horrible it was growing up and the trauma they still carry. I can’t imagine how it is for children who go through this with no safety regulations and parents who openly abuse their kids who don’t act how they like.

[@anjaxtv]

Not only is it harmful but it could potentially create a spoiled, insecure child that's detached from reality. Being older i never understood the appeal of family channels. Plus they could be targeted by a certain type of people with a capital P.. We've seen what Hollywood has done to child stars so the long term effect of YT will probably be similar

[@happy80thgertrude25]

Spoiled? I sincerely doubt. More like emotionally neglected. I can imagine a future where these kids have a hard time expressing their feelings with others and forming relationships out of fear it will be exploited. He was practically begging for someone to comfort him, and I’m certain he’s not the only one whose feelings have been exploited and used as content- and instead of being comforted- as a parent should to a child- they are treated as objects on display for monetary gain.

[@anjaxtv]

@@happy80thgertrude25 there are more family channels than just that one. I made a broad statement.

[@glowrillaz]

That kid didn’t even want to look at her.. this is sad. I hope he ends up being happy and safe.

[@kaili5050]

my heart breaks for these kids, this is so disturbing

[@kitsune9797]

Nick: "There's no one behind be" The cat: *"Am I a joke to you!?"*

[@valeriapinto5685]

imagine profiting off literal child abuse for the “pranx lol 🤪”. how fucking sick do you have to be? the little girl with the fake black eye will be scarred and traumatized from stuff like this. And the audacity of the father saying “my wife is crazy” is so fucking atrocious. Some people just shouldn’t have kids

[@SummersPsycheDelicates]

15:40 I wonder if they should really be joking about domestic abuse before she's old enough to understand the reality of it more? 😬 I agree they're bad people. I also agree that it's not too harsh to say the dog owner lady ordering her son around while he's crying for a thumbnail should lose custody. That was uncomfortable to even watch, I can't imagine growing up with a mom like that

[@marissa7085]

I hate that man that pretends to abuse his child so he can emotionally abuse his wife

[@4eyedecker]

imagine being a kid and having to listen to your parents fight over something that you don’t even understand. “it’s a prank” your kid doesn’t even understand what a prank is. it’s one thing like putting dye in someones drink with your kid. it’s a whole different level putting makeup on your kid pretending that you hit them and then making them sit through you and your wife fighting about it. what the actual fuck goes on it these people’s minds….

[@paninilist4678]

Watch in like 5-15 years (some of these channels have been around since almost the beginning of youtube) when those kids are grown up and are old enough to speak up, we will start to see what really went behind the scenes of these "family friendly vlogs".

[@guilhermeshiba3135]

the world is gonna be wild in 7 years when these youtube kids start getting old and talking about their experience

[@basil696]

as someone who had a parent that did not care for my feelings and only cared about people perceiving him as a great parent- i feel for that child and strongly agree that he needs to go into someone else’s care.

[@Night_Willows]

This video inspired me to write a story about a particularly messed up family vlog channel. They’re called the Mirage family (cause their persona as a perfect family is an illusion? Like a mirage? Little on the nose I know.) I feel awful for all these kids having to grow up like this, but for some reason the course of action my brain chose was to create some fictional kids to suffer in the same way. Oh well. I’ll be sure to give my new kiddos a happy ending eventually

[@jestenia590]

Vloggers don’t triple check their vids before uploading. I know this because their audio levels’re all over the place and will suddenly blow your ear drums out if you’re wearing headphones

[@SatchPatch25]

Not only that but it makes kids think that's a good way to live.. when my child told me she wanted to start making KZbin videos, my heart dropped. I had to have a long chat with her afterwards. But the fact that they get so much money and aren't shy about showing that off makes that lifestyle look luxurious to children.

[@Keroanne]

8 Passengers is a fun one-a Mormon family who have literally been investigated by CPS. In the end they didn’t find anything legally wrong, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t do anything morally wrong.

[@zoellaadilkhan4929]

“Greasy little green guy” is the most flattering compliment ever! Got me giggling and kicking my feet 😌😊

[@Random_loaf_of_bread]

This just shows how much these people are willing to go through to get views and money

[@KokaKola633]

Even if they’re hurting their child :(

[@Random_loaf_of_bread]

@@KokaKola633 yeah :(

[@moonlight_dulcet]

one thing that rlly gets me abt the vid with the mum and her son that i don't see too many people mentioning is how she told him to move closer, and he didn't do it immediately and she appeared to get annoyed and she basically yelled "CLOSER" at him. like??? it seemed like she was on the verge of straight up verbally abusing him to get him to pose for the thumbnail. makes me sick. i hope that kid is ok

[@taylorrae22]

I would love to see someone do a video on LGBT family channels. I know when I was younger I used to watch several lesbian KZbinrs documenting their IVF journey and the subsequent children and I never see anyone talk about that side of family vlogging

[@strooli_]

yeah that would be cool to see

[@comment4317]

As a young lesbian those videos used to make me so soft (as long as they didn't exploit the kid etc obviously).

[@andaurora1174]

9:15 “look at me, look at me, you looking?”

[@SarBearra]

This reminds me so much of Shay Carl back in the old days. He put his kids everywhere online and continued after the cheating allegations came out. I was pretty much a kid when i first started watching him and as I got a little older, i realized just how creepy that really was.

[@tinaturnedit]

I am so upset that the mary-kate and ashley brain fart may have been a real moment for you 😭😭😭

[@hugesix]

i feel like we’ve all forgotten the whole point of pranks

[@winter333]

You say we don’t know the long term impact but look at Kendal and Kylie Jenner. Their parents had them filmed like this and made them do bizarre stuff for views. They were 11 dancing on stripper poles in heels on television for all to see. Now they’re literally the worst people. One could conclude a lot from the way they turned out.

[@jisyungs]

i feel terrible for these children wow

[@Clacky12]

Some people don't deserve children

[@unamoozed]

i used to watch a family vlogger they were called shaytards and apparently the dad, shay, was cheating with his wife with a camgirl which is so fucked up,, the camgirl didn't have to publicly expose shay because the words he said were too vulgar and his kids would be affected by that

[@speedartandmore]

Thank you for not letting people forget this still happens. I feel like awareness for this stuff comes in waves and it needs to be consistent for something to be done.

[@sunbunnow]

Omg, these videos hurt my heart. I have 3 kids and I could never put my kids through shit like this. So so sad.

[@rowanquynn9964]

This is the same kind of abuse I went through as a kid. Emotional control is something narcissistic abusers do to keep the environment exactly how they want it. My abuse wasn't monetized or put on KZbin, but watching her do this to her kid makes me physically sick