The Netflix documentary series, “Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing,” put a stain on many adolescents’ childhoods, displaying the harsh reality for child social media star Piper Rockelle and her fellow group members, April 9, 2025.
The three-part documentary series, directed by Jenna Rosher and Kief Davidson, focuses on the sexual, emotional and physical abuse and exploitation of 17-year-old Rockelle and her friends by her mother and manager, Tiffany Smith. Rockelle is currently famous on various platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and more.
Only several group members who were part of Rockelle’s “Squad” opted to share their traumatic experience. Tracking back to the beginning of Rockelle’s social media days, dancer Corinne Joy was the first victim of Smith’s appalling media fame narrative. In later years, other children like YouTuber Claire Rocksmith and actress Sophie Fergi were pressured into this stardom.
Former “Squad” members describe their experiences with Smith as manipulative and exploitative, as they were coerced into performing uncomfortable stunts simply for the show. On camera, a lot of members faked relationships and intimacy as guided by Smith and her boyfriend, Hunter Hill, who had hopes of profiting from the children.
When the cameras were off, many of the children were still verbally and physically abused by them, scarring their childhoods and creating an unhealthy relationship with social media for them. In the series, many even recall times when their boundaries were stepped through and they were sexually abused by Hill and Smith, despite being minors.
Unlike child actors, youth social media stars aren’t given the same labor laws that would have protected them by limiting the hours they can work and giving them access to their own earnings. Rockelle and her friends were often taken advantage of by Smith and forced to work long, late hours, simply for her to profit off.
In response to Smith’s exploitation of them, eleven former squad members came together in 2022 to file a lawsuit accusing Smith of abuse. Eventually, two years later, they settled for $1.85 million.
Rockelle has publicly addressed the series on social media, expressing her opposition and dismissing its claims against her mother. Despite all the backlash that she has received, she continues to consistently post seemingly fake narratives on social media to further her viewer engagement.
Many teenagers today are shocked by the documentary’s horrid claims regarding Rockelle’s social media presence, seeing that they were oblivious to the stark truth that continues today.
