It can be dangerous being a child actor. As a society collectively, we have tried to implement laws and best practices so kids cannot be exploited on television and movie sets. Unfortunately, this has not yet translated to social media and YouTube, making kid content creators vulnerable.
The families of 11 teenagers are suing Tiffany Smith, mother of YouTuber Piper Rockelle, for alleged "emotional, verbal, physical, and at times, sexual abuse." These teens worked with Piper on her channel as part of a group called the “Piper Squad.” Collectively, the group is asking for $22 million in damages, which breaks down to about $2 million per plaintiff.
The teens worked with Piper from 2017 to 2020. Her popular channel has more than 10 million subscribers, so it probably seemed like a great way to get exposure. The teens alleged they were not financially compensated for their work, but it is not clear they were promised to be.
The lawsuit also claims that Tiffany Smith tried to sabotage the teens' own YouTube channels. She reportedly utilized false reports and bots to do so. This drove down their views, which in turn significantly diminished their own payouts.
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Ashley Anne-Rock Smith is one of the mothers suing Smith. She is also related, as her daughters are Piper's cousins.
"I just want peace back with my kids," she explained.
"I want all predators who hurt young kids to be brought to justice," she went on to say. "I also hope we move the needle on these platforms that are allowing this."
Matthew Sarelson is the lawyer representing the teens in the lawsuit. He stressed the unregulated nature of child content creators.
“It’s a highly unregulated, Wild West environment. There’s potential for misconduct and abuse throughout the industry,” Sarelson said. “You would hope the California Legislature would investigate and take some action to make some changes, some modifications to the law.”
One of his other clients, Steevy Areeco, agrees. "We all love YouTube and it's a great place, but when somebody is using it as a business and pulling other children in, those people should have to uphold a certain standard," she said. "We want there to be protections for the children."
Smith is also accused of allegedly touching the teens inappropriately multiple times. The lawsuit states that she stuck “a finger in Plaintiffs' butts as they passed by her on or off set.” She also allegedly commented on the male plaintiffs’ penis size and even sent "Piper's soiled training bras and panties to an unknown individual."
In the summer of 2022, Smith attempted to countersue for $30 million, claiming she was being extorted. This suit did not last long.
Sarelson sums up his client’s purpose in a statement. "This lawsuit seeks to remedy the egregious conduct of Piper's handlers," the statement begins. "YouTube has created an enormous opportunity to create wealth, but there's always going to be people gaming the system to harm competitors. Our clients are just kids. They're good kids with big futures. A part of their childhood, a part of their innocence, has been stolen."
