Family vlogging is a successful genre on social media featuring an audience that watches and listens to daily family matters in any place on the globe. However, the past couple of weeks have been marked by the loss of the popularity it once enjoyed as a result of recent allegations or "spills" about Ruby Franke, the mother who, at the peak of the lifestyle, ran what has now become internationally recognized digital media platform, the "8 Passengers" YouTube channel. The channel, which began in 2015, showcased the lives of Ruby, her husband Kevin, and their six children, amassing a substantial following. Yet, behind the curated content lay a reality fraught with controversy, culminating in severe legal repercussions and profound personal trauma for the Franke children.
The Rise and Fall of '8 Passengers'
"8 Passengers" exploded in popularity, by showing an almost Disneyesque version of a Mormon's life with everyday issues. In particular, the frank story of rearing as presented by Ruby has drawn the attention and involvement of the viewers, including the stiff punishments. With the growth in the popularity of the channel, whose subscriber base exceeded 2.5 million in 2020, Ruby's parenting practices came under closer view.
Concerns escalated when episodes depicted alarming disciplinary actions. On one occasion, Ruby reported that their 16-year-old son was not allowed to stay in his bedroom and was forced to sleep on a beanbag for 7 months. Other contentious practices included withholding meals and threatening to discard children's belongings as punishment. These disclosures led to massive condemnation and petitions that called for officials of child protective services to act.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
All of this culminated in August 2023 when the operator, Ruby Franke, and partner Jodi Hildebrandt were both arrested and charged with aggravated child maltreatment. Arrestation followed a violent incident where Ruby's 12-year-old child ran away from Hildebrandt's house, appearing exceedingly thin and with evident signs of maltreatment. Subsequent research showed a pattern of gross maltreatment, for instance, that involves food deprivation and emotional abuse.
In December 2023, Franke and Hildebrandt both pleaded guilty to multiple counts of aggravated child abuse. All three were each sentenced to a maximum of 30 years imprisonment, an extreme low for the people who at some point held considerable standing in the world of online parenting.
The Children's Perspective: A Childhood Exploited
"The Daughter's Quest for Freedom" is a story about being made to publicly discuss private and intimate and often deeply shameful things in front of the camera all in order to be internet famous and get rich.
the potential exploitation and violation of children's privacy. She tells of a family where the boundaries between authentic family relationships and staged content became mixed in a way that resulted in deep emotional damage.
Advocacy for Legislative Change
The disclosures of the Franke family have led to a controversy over the ethical implications of family vlogging in particular and on the rights and welfare of children. Ruby (the husband) filed for divorce in November 2023 and has admitted to a state of "overwhelm" in regards to their public vlogging. At a hearing in the Utah House Business, Labor and Commerce Committee, Kevin testified on behalf of HB322, a bill entitled Amending Title 53a, Use of the Internet for Education and Related School Functions, for the Protection of Children From Online Exploitations. The kind of financial support envisioned by the proposed law allocates part of the amount generated by content from minors to a pool of funds that will be allocated in the meantime upon acquisition of the majority. It also offers a way for people to ask to have their content removed when they reach an age and turn into mature people.
Kevin drew attention to the unprocessed trauma which his children continue to experience to this day, because of their public status, and that Children by no means can give consent to being filmed on social media ever. His activism is a clear sign that others are starting to realize the need for the protection of children online through legislation.
The Broader Implications for Family Vlogging
The "8 Passengers" experience is a cautionary case of the potential to craft harmful, even unhealthy, content when a family vlogging genre is pursued. Not only does access to family experiences on the internet promote solidarity and connection, but it also raises critical issues for consent, privacy and vulnerability to exploitation. By sharing their kids' experiences, the need for parents and content providers to do the right thing and prioritize the health and independence of children over the temptation of online fame and monetary rewards is revealed.
Since the digital world is changing all the time, there is a pressing need to define, in the area of law and ethics, what is permissible and unacceptable to commodify the lives of children. The debate ignited by the Franke family's situation may bring, to the benefit of a generation of content producers, more reflective and careful thought about the rights of, and the value put into the worth of, minors in all digital work.
The very image of the "8 Passengers" story unfolds as a betrayal, not against their audience, but for the perverse world of family vlogging, a quest for exposure that too can drown in the care of parents at the bottom of any family. Along with the bravery of the Franke siblings, to the subsequent legal action brought against Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, it is obvious that systemic change is necessary. The potential safeguarding of vulnerable persons from similar excessive exploitation and distress in the future can be attempted through both legislative change and the establishment of an ethical content culture.
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