Exploiting the youth: Ethical issues of family vlogging

Hulu recently released Devil in The Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke (2025), a three-episode docu-series focusing on the abuse family vlogger Ruby Franke inflicted on her children. Family vlogging, a popular form of content on Youtube— especially in the 2010s, is content creation where parents share recordings of them and their children experiencing mundane activities, such as grocery shopping and special events, like vacations and celebrations. 

In other words, family vlogging is an inside scoop into the life of a home many viewers will never step into. Many enjoyed watching these videos for the fun family dynamics, parenting tips, and the illusion of familial love and happiness, especially those watching from broken homes. 

Devil in The Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke (2025) called attention to a darker side of family vlogging and, like many on the internet, caused me to ponder the consequences of family vlogging that my former self never considered. 

As a child, I loved to eat breakfast with other families and watch moms do their daughters' hair. But in reality, the children I watched on these vlog channels —sometimes watched by millions of people— were stripped of their privacy. 

When a family posts a video documenting the entirety of their daughter’s fifth birthday, they need to consider the potential harmful effects. Unfortunately, predatory behavior exists online, and while a Youtuber can receive an influx of innocent comments, they will never truly know who is watching their video and for what purpose. 

Secondly, a five-year-old is unlikely to consent to being posted online. I have seen many influencers post rather embarrassing videos of their kids. I worry that the child will be mortified that a video of them shopping for training bras or picking their nose has followed them into their vulnerable adolescent years. 

I never used to look at family vlogging from the perspective of exploiting children for money. It was not until the docu-series, which stated that Ruby Franke’s channel earned the parents around $100,000 per month, that it became apparent that these kids performed child labor, practically sacrificing their childhood without any guarantee they would receive compensation from their parents’ vlog income. 

Imagine coming home from a long day of school and, instead of relaxing in your bed to decompress, you have to face a camera and put on a show in your own home. These kids are working 24/7, and while efforts have been made to financially protect children in online content, I can imagine that many kids have not seen a dollar for their privacy breach. 

When family vlogging first emerged, the internet was smaller, newer, and more enigmatic. I do not think anyone considered the harmful effects it would have on children until much later. I would like to believe it started with good intentions —sharing family values, love, and activities with a niche community that brought comfort to both viewers and creators— but after years of social media becoming deeply integrated into society, it is time we stray away from oversharing and exploiting our youth.