Daughter exposes ‘abusive’ mum’s family vlogging tactics

The daughter of a woman who went to prison for aggravated child abuse has spoken out about her mother’s tactics.

The daughter of a family vlogging mum who was imprisoned for aggravated child abuse has spoken out about the child influencer industry.

Shari Franke, who was part of Ruby Franke’s 8 Passengers channel, spoke at a Utah Senate Committee about being a “victim” and how her mother encouraged her to open up about her life online.

“I don’t come today as the daughter of a felon, nor as a victim of an abnormally abusive mother. I come today as a victim of family vlogging,” she said.

Shari said she wasn’t speaking to provide a solution to the child influencer industry, but share her own experience and belief that there is no good reason to put your children online for money or fame.

Shari Franke speaking at the Utah Senate committee. Picture: Instagram/@sharilfranke

She said it was about more than simply putting your kids online, but that there were ethical and monetary issues that came when children were suddenly thrust into a full time job in the “alluring” business model that is family vlogging.

“Many child influencers are paid for their work, as I was, and this money has helped me in my adult life,” Shari said.

“However, this payment was usually a bribe. For example, we’d be rewarded $100 or a shopping trip if we filmed a particularly embarrassing moment or an exciting event in our lives.”

She said other times the simple fact the family went on a holiday was expected to be payment enough because most kids don’t get to go on trips.

“Nevermind the fact that the child’s labour is what paid for the trip,” she said.

However, Shari said that despite payments made, it shouldn’t excuse the constant work that child influencers are subjected to. She asked what the price was for giving up a childhood.

She said that Utah is a hotspot for this kind of content, thanks to the ideals around family and church that are valued by those that live there.

Shari’s mother, alongside her business partner Jodi Hildebrant, was arrested in August 2023 after her 12-year-old son climbed out of the window of Hildebrant’s home and ran to a neighbour’s property.

She is the daughter of Ruby Franke, who was imprisoned earlier this year. Picture: Instagram/@sharilfranke

The boy was malnourished, begging for food and water, had been bound with duct tape and had open wounds.

The mother-of-six pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, sentenced to one to 15 years for each count.

When her mother was arrested, Shari took to social media to say: “Today has been a big day. Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.”

There has been a huge push for regulation in the “kidfluencer” and “family vlogging” space as there are no laws in Australia that specifically govern child influencers. However, three states in the US — including California — have recently passed laws on the matter.

Ruby Franke from defunct parenting advice YouTube channel 8 Passengers has been charged with child abuse. Picture: YouTube

While the Australian market is relatively small in comparison to the US, experts are crying out for new laws.

Tama Leaver, Professor of internet Studies at Curtin University, told the ABC in 2022 that he would like to see Australia follow France, which has rules regulating how much a child can work online, all money goes into an account they can access at 16 and platforms must take down a child’s content if requested.

Australian Influencer Marketing Council released a code of practice in 2020, and for the Law Society Journal Media Arts Lawyers’ Stephanie Scott said there were current child labour laws that could be tweaked to cover this area.

Ms Scott said there was a “grey area” currently where if the child’s work is managed by an agency then the agency tales care of all the work permits but when it’s managed by a parent, it’s not as clear.