Silvia Romano Shari Franke, daughter of the famous influencer Ruby Franke, tells the hidden reality of baby influencers, always under the cameras and deprived of any privacy. A childhood lived 24 hours a day in front of a screen, without breaks.
Table of contents
With these words, Shari Franke told the Utah State Legislature what it is like to grow up as a “child influencer,” under the constant gaze of cameras-with no privacy and having no choice. Her testimony has stirred discussions regarding the dangers of “sharenting” and the ethical and psychological implications associated with this practice that thrusts children under the bright lights from a young age and turns their lives into content.
The controversy of sharing content featuring minors for financial gain on social media has continued to rise, and perhaps one of the most disturbing stories comes from a young daughter of a popular influencer, Ruby Franke. Speaking in front of the Utah State Legislature, Shari spoke out against the dangers of family vlogging and how living a life under an always-on camera deeply affected her life.
“I’m not here as the daughter of a criminal; I’m here as a victim of family vlogging,” she added.
Shari explained that family vloggers grew into full-time businesses complete with employees, corporate credit cards, and marketing strategies, but there’s a key differentiator between them and any other business: “All of the employees are children“. She said that, being born in this field, as a child, there was no concept of privacy. Every moment of her life was filmed and shared right from the time she was filled with joy to those moments when she was vulnerable. “Some of the most-watched videos are of me when I was sick or in super embarrassing situations. The world has watched me be a teenager wanting to just cry in private,” Shari says.
All this exposure came with a high price to pay: disconnection from friends, interference with her personal life, and even worse, with the continuous feeling of being observed, making her childhood some show to cash in on.
Growing up on camera: no reprieve, no Privacy
“Business was good when I was happy or sharing my struggles with the world, “
Shari shared in accentuating how every private and tender moment was captured for views and money. Her life was under the constant coverage of the camera and monetization of each activity right from her childhood into adolescence and snatched away her right to experience personal moments away from the public eye.
This fact also influenced the attitude of people around her: normally everybody tried to avoid her to not become an accidental protagonist of her camera.
“Some of our most popular videos were shot when I was sick or in one of those really awkward moments. The world watched me as a teenager wanting nothing more than to cry, but to cry alone,” Shari remembered.
The loneliness this brought in carved deep marks into her teenage years.
A business where “employees” are children
As Shari said, the work of a child influencer isn’t just sharing family moments.
“The family vlog is a full-fledged full-time job, with employees, corporate credit cards, managers and marketing strategies. The difference with family vlogging from a normal business is that all the employees are children,” she explained.
Yet, for most parents, including her own, such exposure provides the main source of their income, though the children are not paid in proportion to and are never afforded a chance to choose in or out. Often, a very personal or emotional episode is “rewarded” with trifles such as shopping trips or vacations, but this cannot be considered as justifying the emotional toll that continued exposure takes on the children.
What’s the cost of childhood?
“If I could go back, I would rather have an empty bank account than see my childhood exposed on the internet,”
Shari said. Her story brings up a critical question: what’s the right price of a lost childhood?
To date, there are not enough laws in Utah and elsewhere that could grant at least financial protection or compensation for the contribution of minor influencers. Where there is no specific regulation, a childhood is exploited without any guarantees of not developing trauma or loss of financial independence in the future.
The dangers of the web: consent and online predators
She also spoke about very sensitive topics, like pedophilia and harassment in general.
Parents are aware of these predators and choose to post their children anyway,” Shari argued, pointing to a reality where child protection is sacrificed in the name of popularity and profits.
“As children, we don’t understand the consequences of filming our lives and sharing them with the entire world,” she added.
She told of how, when she reached a senior age, inappropriate comments built up in her profile, with insinuations and hurtful insults that would haunt her forever.
The Impact of Sharenting
Shari closed her speech with a call for action. She implored the legislator to pass legislation to safeguard the rights of minors and asked society for a reflection on the impact each “like” had when a post featured kids in moments of privacy.
“There is never, ever a good reason to post your children online for money or fame. There is no moral or ethical family vlogger,”
she emphatically repeated. Every action, even the most seemingly innocuous ones, feeds the system that kills childhoods for cash.
She insists that childhood protection should be an absolute priority and a matter of concern for every single one of us, whereby there needs to be some mechanism at least to safeguard the minors on social media, so their future generation is not paying the price for a life lived in front of the camera.
Who is Shari?
Shari Franke, the eldest daughter of renowned influencer Ruby Franke, has now come out with the brutal truth behind the 8 Passengers vlog, which was followed by millions and the abuse she suffered masquerading as the perfect family. Ruby, influenced by life coach Jodi Hildebrandt, orchestrated a stern and vicious disciplinary regime on her children far beyond the imaginable. After her mother’s arrest in 2023, Shari chose to come forward about the abuse she suffered and the corrosive impact of Hildebrandt’s “ConneXions” program. In so doing, she exposed a very dark side of influencer culture while sharing her path toward freedom and healing.
