The daughter of a former YouTube vlogger, who was sentenced to prison in February after pleading guilty to aggravated child abuse, is voicing her concerns about the dangers of family vlogging.
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Shari Franke, daughter of Ruby Franke, addressed Utah lawmakers on Wednesday, sharing her experience as a child influencer and the harmful effects it had on her and others in similar situations.
“A Full-Time Job”
During her testimony at a Utah Senate committee hearing, Shari Franke described the hidden challenges of being a child star in family vlogging.
“When children become stars in their family’s online content, they become child influencers,” she explained. “It is more than just filming your family life and putting it online. It is a full-time job, with employees, business credit cards, managers, and marketing strategies.”
Franke, the eldest of six children, shared her personal account to shed light on the family vlogging industry in which she grew up. “There is no such thing as a moral or ethical family vlogger,” she told lawmakers, pointing out that children in these situations often suffer exploitation.
“Victim of Family Vlogging”
In her powerful testimony, Shari Franke spoke candidly about her mother’s actions but also emphasized the systemic issue of family vlogging itself.
“My mother, Ruby Franke, is the prominent family vlogger arrested last year for child abuse. I don’t come today as the daughter of a felon, nor a victim of an abnormally abusive mother. I come today as a victim of family vlogging,” she stated. “My goal today is not to present any idea of a solution to this problem, but to shed light on the ethical and monetary issues that come from being a child influencer.”
Ruby Franke gained fame on YouTube by sharing her family life and offering controversial parenting advice. She was arrested in August 2023 after her 12-year-old son escaped from her former business partner Jodi Hildebrandt’s home, seeking food and water from a neighbor. Both Franke and Hildebrandt were later sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to four counts of child abuse.
The Harsh Reality of Online Fame
Shari Franke recounted a childhood in which every moment—good and bad—was captured on camera and shared with millions of viewers.
“My best and worst moments were filmed and shared with the world,” she said, describing the experience as “24/7 work” that led to the loss of friends. She explained how child influencers, like herself, often believe they have a choice in what is filmed. However, she now sees that they suffer from what she referred to as “Stockholm syndrome.”
“Most child influencers would probably tell you they have full control over what is posted; but the reality is that their parents bribe and shame them into posting their most vulnerable moments,” Franke revealed. “We cannot give consent to our parents to post our lives.”
The Legal Landscape
Franke’s testimony comes on the heels of legislative changes in California and Illinois, where new laws have been passed to protect children featured in online content. California’s legislation, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, mandates that a percentage of earnings generated by minors in monetized online content be set aside in trust accounts. The law also expands protections from the Coogan Law, which historically applied to child actors, to include young content creators.
Illinois passed similar legislation last year, allowing child influencers to take legal action against their parents if they are not properly compensated for their involvement in videos.
While Shari Franke did not address these new laws in her testimony, she stressed that no amount of money made from her online fame could make up for the loss of privacy and childhood.
“If I could go back and do it all again, I’d rather have an empty bank account now and not have my childhood plastered all over the internet,” she said. “No amount of money I received has made what I’ve experienced worth it.”
A Call for Action
Franke urged lawmakers to take action to protect children from exploitation in family vlogging, warning that her experience is not an isolated case.
“I don’t want people to look at me and blame my unique circumstances, with a mother in prison, to the Franke criminal case,” she cautioned. “Family vlogging ruined my innocence long before Ruby committed a crime. I promise you that my experiences are not unique, and are happening to child influencers all over Utah and the country.”
Franke did not propose specific solutions but highlighted the urgency of addressing the issue to prevent it from escalating further.
She concluded her testimony with a warning to lawmakers: “Let’s tackle this issue before it becomes a bigger crisis than it already is.”
Moving Forward
Shari Franke also announced her upcoming memoir, which will be released in January, where she will further detail her experience growing up as a child influencer. Her powerful words on Wednesday have sparked new discussions about the ethical responsibilities of family vloggers and the need for stronger protections for children online.