An influencer is just what it sounds like, somebody that influences people to buy products or services by promoting or recommending the items on social media. A kidfluencer is a kid that influences other children to buy stuff, tons of stuff. They also have YouTube Channels. They get part of the ad money that YouTube charges advertisers. This is not chump change, while Piper Rockelle, who is a major figure in this documentary, was an underage teen, with millions of followers, she was bringing in $500,000 a month.

This documentary is not about the entire industry; it is about Piper Rockelle and her mother/manager Tiffany Smith. But with that kind of money at stake, this stuff is happening every day.  

Piper started off in the toddler and child pageantry circuit and won everything. Her mother Tiffany would not allow anything less. When she outgrew that, Tiffany put her on social media, and eventually a YouTube channel. She brought in 20 year-old-Hunter Hill to play Piper’s big brother and shoot video. Eventually he became Tiffany’s boyfriend. 

To grow the YouTube channel, they needed to add some kids in the background. They became known as “The Squad”. Pipper got picked up by a show on Disney. When another child on that show got more lines on an episode, Tiffany took Piper and walked. She managed to get the other Moms to pool their money together and rent a huge house in Beverly Hills. Tiffany wound up being able to control everyone and everything. She was getting the majority of the money and giving the others barely enough to live on.

She forbids the other moms from attending their own children’s filming sessions. Tiffany had 12-, 13-, and 14-year-old girls dressing sexy and forcing them to kiss the boys that were in the squad on camera to get more views. The documentary also shows a study that a huge percentage of the audience for teen girl influencers are adult men. Some of these men sent Piper thousands of dollars in gifts.

The Netflix Documentary is 3 episodes 2 ½ hours total, Rated TVMA for adult themes.

Because they were in a private house there were no regulations. On a movie or TV set kids can only work for so long, they have to go to school, and their money must go in a trust fund. These kids were working 12 to 14 hour days, 7 days a week, with no breaks to keep the content going online.

A group of Squad Moms are suing Tiffany with all kinds of allegations, including inappropriate sexual behavior towards the children. One former squad member, Corinne, said she remembers going to a post office with Smith, who was sending off what appeared to be a package of Rockelle’s underwear. When she asked why, she said Smith declared: Old men pay a lot of money for these. My question to each of the moms being interviewed as is, “If what you are saying is true, why did you allow your child to stay?” My guess is money. 

My Score: 5 Solid Buds