A group of young performers joined a YouTube channel in 2022 to market themselves as rising stars. The group, formerly known as “The Squad,” later filed a lawsuit against Tiffany Smith, the mother and manager of YouTube influencer Piper Rockelle, the group’s de facto leader. The suit included disturbing allegations. Smith was accused of sending her preteen daughter’s underwear to adult men and forcing the children to work grueling hours without breaks to create viral content.
Although the lawsuit was settled in 2023, the story didn’t end there. Netflix’s new documentary series Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing dives deeper into the alleged “cult-like manipulation” behind the scenes. Released earlier this month and currently trending, the series explores the broader context of the accusations made
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