In the era of social media, it seems people are more open to sharing their life than ever. From “get ready with me” videos to mukbangs, influencers have grown accustomed to sharing their day-to-day lives with millions of viewers. But what happens when an influencer tries to thrust their own children into the unforgiving spotlight of the internet?
Family blogging has become a popular form of online videos in recent years which consists of parents sharing their lives as well as the lives of their children. However, many of these family blog channels have sparked debate as many fear the effects family blogging could have on the kids.
8 Passengers was a popular family blogging channel run by mother Ruby Franke, which was started in early 2015. She would document the lives of her family members: Franke herself, her husband Kevin Franke and their six children.
While the channel itself was popular among the family blogging community, the family received some criticism for their harsh parenting methods. In 2020 one of her children, a 16-year-old boy, revealed he had been sleeping on a bean bag for several months after being banned from sleeping in his own room.
More details behind the harsh methods of punishment were also revealed which included withholding meals, sending one of her children to wilderness therapy and other cruel punishments. The reveal of this information sparked concern among viewers but nothing would be done for years.
It wouldn’t be until 2023 when Franke’s inhumane practices were revealed which showed a deeper trend of abuse than viewers were aware of. After one of her children escaped from the house and reached the police it was shown that conditions in the household were inhumane with many children being forced into labor, abused and chained up in the home. State prosecutor for the case, Eric Clarke, even described the environment as “a concentration-like setting.”
8 Passengers ran for almost eight years before it was inevitably shut down. For many of the Franke children that was most of their adolescence they spent under a camera while simultaneously being abused while the cameras were off.
Though Franke has been rightfully charged and sentenced with these inhumane crimes it does not forgive the fact that someone like Franke was allowed to be given a platform in the first place. Even without all the harmful parenting tactics that were hidden beneath the surface of it all, family blogging still can be harmful itself.
Many children of family bloggers are put into the media’s eye at an age where they are unable to make decisions for themselves. It reveals a harmful power dynamic where a parent allows their own kid to be scrutinized by millions of viewers. It leaves little to no choice on whether or not they want to be on camera.
On top of that, these parents also profit off of the videos of their children they spread to the internet. Many of these channels have their videos either monetized by YouTube or paid through sponsorships with brands. Meaning every second their child is on camera, that kid is making money for them whether they want to or not. It puts these kids into an awkward position where they are forced to have their privacy and autonomy violated by parental figures all for the sake of making a buck.
Aside from that these videos also risk the chance of making it to those who wish to exploit or sexualize these children.
The easy access to the internet has granted many child predators a simple way to gain intimate details of minors and family blogging has made it even more accessible. Family channels like 8 Passengers don’t shy away from revealing emotional, mental and physical details of the children to their audience which gives people looking to take advantage of those very children an upper hand.
Details that should be private are left out in the open for anyone to see and for a child that can be life-threatening depending on who gains access to that information. These parents aren’t just showing the world their own lives but the lives of those who rely on them for everything. They can never have a moment alone with their parents because the audience is watching over their shoulders at all times.
Despite the dangers family blogging poses to children, it is inevitable that people will continue to make family blogs. Abuse and child endangerment run rampant in the community yet it all remains hidden behind the scenes. But if Ruby Franke was able to get away with it for so long, who’s to say other channels aren’t doing the same?
