Netflix’s Bad Influence Unveils The Dark Underbelly Of Kid Influencers

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, Netflix’s Bad Influence exposé reveals the shocking exploitation behind teen influencer Piper Rockelle’s rise, spotlighting her momager Tiffany Smith and the dark side of kidfluencing in a must-watch docuseries premiering April 9, 2025.

Bad Influence

In an era where social media stardom can catapult ordinary kids into multimillion-dollar empires, Netflix’s upcoming docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing promises to pull back the curtain on the troubling realities behind the glitz. Set to premiere on April 9, 2025, this three-part investigative series zeroes in on Piper Rockelle, a teen influencer with a massive online following, and her mother-manager, Tiffany Smith. The trailer, already available for viewing, hints at a chilling narrative of exploitation, manipulation, and abuse lurking beneath the surface of seemingly innocent viral content.

Piper Rockelle

Piper Rockelle, now 17, rose to fame as a child star on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, amassing over 25 million followers with her playful pranks, trendy challenges, and carefully curated “crush content.” Alongside her handpicked friend group, known as “The Squad,” Rockelle’s videos racked up billions of views and generated staggering revenue—reportedly between $300,000 and $500,000 a month at her peak. To her young fans, it was a dreamy world of fun and friendship. But as Bad Influence reveals, this polished facade concealed a far darker dynamic, orchestrated by Tiffany Smith, Piper’s so-called “momager.”

The docuseries draws from firsthand accounts of former Squad members and their families, who allege that Smith’s pursuit of fame and fortune came at a steep cost to the children under her influence. Testimonies featured in the trailer paint a disturbing picture: Smith allegedly directed the kids—some as young as tweens—to pose provocatively, hug in specific ways, and “make it sexy” for the camera, despite their discomfort. “Sex sells,” she reportedly insisted, a mantra that raises alarming questions about the exploitation of minors for profit. One commentator in the trailer likens the group’s dynamic to a cult, while another notes how Smith preyed on aspiring child stars desperate for fame, only to take advantage of them.

Legal Battle

The allegations don’t stop at manipulation. In January 2022, 11 former Squad members filed a lawsuit against Smith, accusing her of emotional, physical, and even sexual abuse. The legal battle, which concluded with a $1.85 million settlement in October 2024, brought to light claims that Smith created an environment where kids were pressured into staged romantic scenarios and exposed to a largely adult male audience. Though Smith has denied the accusations, calling them baseless and motivated by greed, the settlement and the forthcoming docuseries have reignited a broader conversation about the unregulated world of “kidfluencing.”

Bad Influence doesn’t just focus on Piper and Tiffany—it shines a spotlight on the systemic issues plaguing the child influencer industry. Unlike traditional child actors, who are protected by labor laws in many regions, kid influencers operate in a legal gray area. The Fair Labor Standards Act, enacted in 1938, hasn’t evolved to address this modern phenomenon, leaving young creators vulnerable to exploitation by parents doubling as producers. While states like California and Illinois have recently introduced legislation to safeguard child influencers’ earnings, the industry remains a Wild West, where fame-hungry adults can blur the lines between caregiving and profiteering.

Trailer

The trailer alone has sparked outrage and calls for change among viewers. Social media reactions highlight a growing unease with family channels that monetize children’s lives, often against their will. “This is why child labor laws need to extend to social media,” one commenter wrote, echoing a sentiment that Bad Influence seems poised to amplify. The series also draws parallels to high-profile cases like that of Ruby Franke, another YouTube parent whose abusive behavior led to legal consequences, underscoring a pattern of dysfunction in the influencer space.

For her part, Tiffany Smith has maintained her innocence, telling PEOPLE ahead of the trailer’s release that the legal ordeal is finally behind her. “Obviously we didn’t do anything that was alleged,” she said, suggesting the lawsuit was a money grab. She emphasized prioritizing Piper’s mental health and moving forward, while Piper herself described the experience as “extremely painful and hard to understand.” Yet, as the docuseries looms, their statements will face scrutiny against the testimonies of those who claim to have lived through the nightmare.

Directed by Jenna Rosher and Kief Davidson, and produced by Decoy Productions, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing promises to be more than a salacious exposé. It’s a wake-up call—a chance to confront the ethical quagmire of turning kids into content machines. The trailer, available now on Netflix’s platforms, sets the stage for a gripping narrative that could reshape how we view the glossy world of child influencers. Mark your calendars for April 9, because this is one story that demands to be seen—and questioned.