A Disturbing Docuseries About Kidfluencers Is Taking Over Netflix's Streaming Charts

The child star influencer reckoning isn't coming soon: it's already here. From the trials and tribulations of kids who grew up in the spotlight — from the stars of "Dance Moms" and "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" to viral rapper Lil Tay — to the crimes and tragedies surrounding self-described family friendly clans like the Duggars and the Frankes, the danger of turning kids into on-camera profit machines is by now well documented. But as Netflix's new docuseries "Bad Influence" proves, there are still plenty of "kidfluencer" stories that deserve a spotlight — and some of the kids are finally old enough to tell their own side of the story.

"Bad Influence," which carries the subtitle "The Dark Side of Kidfluencing," dropped on the streamer on April 9, 2025 and has quickly climbed up the streaming charts. According to viewership data aggregate site Flixpatrol, it's currently the second most-watched TV show on the streamer, behind only the latest season of "Black Mirror." The show has more eyeballs on it than the popular returning docuseries "Love on the Spectrum," the sensational one-shot crime drama "Adolescence," and another new doc release, "Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer," among other titles.

The three-part series created by Kief Davidson takes a closer look at the life of YouTube star Piper Rockelle, whose mother, Tiffany Smith, was allegedly exploitative towards the children included in the content-creating "squad" she built, according to several parties involved in the new show. Time reports that eleven of the teens who were involved in the channel sued Smith last year, claiming they were "frequently subjected to an emotionally, physically and sometimes sexually abusive environment perpetrated by Ms. Smith on and off set during filming sessions for Piper's YouTube channel."

Neither Rockelle nor Smith were involved in the docuseries, and Smith denied the allegations last year, saying she was settling the suit because "prolonged litigation would be even more harmful and painful to everyone involved — which includes kids" (per Time). The show's trailer includes voiceover comments from children involved alleging that Smith pushed them into uncomfortable situations, saying that "sex sells" and scripting romances between the teens. The doc also points out reports indicating that a huge majority of the subscribers watching content featuring girls are adult men, a demographics breakdown that casts an insidious shadow over whatever carefree videos kids might be making.

"It doesn't matter what happened to us, as long as they got it on camera," one child said in voiceover in the docuseries' trailer. Former squad member Sophie Fergi makes an even more depressing statement in the show, saying the time she spent working with Smith and Rockelle "[were] some of the hardest years of my life – and I'm only 12." The show is set to continue conversations around child stardom, behind-the-scenes boundary violating, and lax labor laws that were kicked into high gear in recent years with the release of projects like Jennette McCurdy's "I'm Glad My Mom Died" and Investigation Discovery's "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV." All three episodes of "Bad Influence" are now streaming on Netflix.