Netflix shakes the world of Kidfluencing with the new documentary “Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing”, to be released on April 9, 2025. The series, made by Decoy Productions and directed by Jenna Rosher and Kief Davidson, wants to unmask the dark side of online success, telling how the sparkling world of young influencers is usually hiding is to hide disturbing background and disputes. Through an investigative story, the show invites us to reflect on how much the vulnerability of children can be exploited in a ruthless media environment.
Who is Piper Rockelle (and what is The Squad)
Piper Rockelle is a young actress and influencer, born in Atlanta, who has conquered the web since she was only eight years old. With the support of the mother Tiffany Smith, and with the help of her partner Hunter Hill, the young woman has been able to transform her passion for fun into a real digital empire, collecting millions of followers and generating huge income thanks to sponsorship agreements and brand deal. The young woman has a brother named Tyler Ray Hill, while as far as his father is concerned, the news is very scarce: it seems that he met him only once during his childhood and does not remember that he had ever been present for the family.
The success of Rockelle did not occur in solitude: together with a group of friends who are known collectively such as The Squad populated social media with carefree videos, elaborate jokes and moments of pure joy, combined, as well imaginable, with sentimental parenthesis. Since 2017, formation, made up of young people such as Sophie Fergi, Gavin Magnus, Sawyer Sharbino, Hayden Haa has offered content fans who contributed to creating a virtual community that has been able to entertain a global audience. The idea was to make young actors interact and bring out their personalities, but the group dynamics and the crossed promotion system then revealed critical issues in the Kidfluencing model.
Controversies: the role of Tiffany Smith
The figure of Tiffany Smith, Piper’s mother/ “Momager”, represents the focal point of the documentary. Always at the helm of his daughter’s career, the woman has orchestrated every aspect of the young man’s public life, choosing and carefully managing the young talents who formed The Squad. But behind the apparent success and the positive energy that distinguished the videos, some former members of the group and their families began to denounce unacceptable behaviors.
The accusations took shape in a legal cause in January 2022, and speak of manipulations, exploitation and, in some cases, of emotionally, physically and even sexually abusive environments, perpetrated by Tiffany Smith. According to the testimonies collected, the system created around Piper was characterized by strong pressure and rigid rules, so much so that the criticisms and protests did not delay in emerging among the parents of the young people involved. The documentary aims to investigate these aspects in a critical and detailed way, and on the dynamics that have led to an apparently playful disintegration of the world of The Squad. In telling the story, the testimonies of the victims with the opinions of experts and even with comments by the defense lawyer are compared.
The trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj6h2qyewoe
