"What price is worth giving up your childhood?"
Shari Franke, recently testified to US lawmakers about the dangers of family vlogging.
She shared her experience growing up as a "child influencer," where her most vulnerable moments were filmed without true consent.
Shari aims to raise awareness about the exploitation of children in the vlogging industry and the lack of protections for them. Her testimony follows her mother, Ruby Franke's, imprisonment for child abuse, highlighting the need for stronger laws to safeguard kids online.
Shari Franke, recently testified to US lawmakers about the dangers of family vlogging.
She shared her experience growing up as a "child influencer," where her most vulnerable moments were filmed without true consent.
Shari aims to raise awareness about the exploitation of children in the vlogging industry and the lack of protections for them. Her testimony follows her mother, Ruby Franke's, imprisonment for child abuse, highlighting the need for stronger laws to safeguard kids online.
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00:00But I want to be clear that there is never, ever a good reason for posting your children online for money or fame.
00:06There is no such thing as a moral or ethical family vlogger.
00:10Many child influencers are paid for their work, as I was, and this money has helped me in my adult life.
00:15However, this payment was usually a bribe.
00:17For example, we'd be rewarded $100 or a shopping trip if we filmed a particularly embarrassing moment or an exciting event in our lives.
00:25There is no long place to guarantee that child influencers get any money from their work.
00:29Any payment that does happen is under the table with no paper trail.
00:32And how do we determine how much a child should make from appearing in family content?
00:36What price is worth giving up your childhood?
00:38The camera never stops, and there is no such thing as a break from filming.
00:42At the time, I tell you I had a choice in what was filmed.
00:44But I've come to learn that every child influencer, in a way, suffers from Stockholm Syndrome.
00:49Most child influencers would probably tell you they have full control over what is posted.
00:53But the reality is that their parents bribe and shame them into posting their most vulnerable moments.
00:58But as children, we do not understand the consequences of filming our lives and posting it for the world to see.
01:03In any other context, it is understood that children cannot give consent.
01:06But for some reason, people think family vlogging is different.
01:09In addition, pedophiles stalk the internet, specifically seeking out child influencers.
01:13I promise you that the parents are aware of these predators and choose to post their children anyway.
01:18I understand that this is a big issue to tackle, and I am not asking you to ban family vlogging, though that is my end goal.
01:23But when it comes to protecting children, it should be a bipartisan issue.
01:27If I could go back and do it all again, I'd rather have an empty bank account now and not have my childhood plastered all over the internet.
01:33While I don't have all the answers or many feasible solutions for this problem,
01:37I am proud to be one of the first child influencers in the state of Utah to speak against this issue.
01:41Family vlogging ruined my innocence long before Ruby committed a crime.
01:45I promise you that my experiences are not unique and are happening to child influencers all over Utah and the country.
01:51So let's tackle this issue before it becomes a bigger crisis than it already is.
01:57For more UN videos visit www.un.org