The eldest daughter of disgraced Utah parenting blogger Ruby Franke, named Shari Franke, has taken action to help protect other children with a new child actor law in her home state. Utah Governor Spencer Cox has signed the bill, HB322, which provides payment and privacy protections to minors involved in entertainment, such as acting in TV commercials or social media content. Shari Franke has been actively working on drafting HB322 to protect child influencers in the state and require parents to create trust funds for their children and pay them a minimum amount. The bill also allows child influencers to have any content they appeared in removed from social media platforms by the age of 18.
Shari Franke has been advocating for this legislation despite opposition from certain family bloggers and lobbyists in Utah who are against the measure. She questions why ethical family vloggers would object to paying their children if they are already being compensated and why they would fear children wanting content removed once they turn 18. Shari’s support for HB322 is part of her efforts to protect the rights of children whose parents are social media influencers, following her mother’s guilty plea to multiple counts of child abuse in 2023.
The bill, sponsored by Democratic Utah State Rep. Doug Owens, aims to protect traditional child actors by requiring parents to set aside 15% of their children’s earnings for when they become adults. It also extends protections to children involved in social media content, ensuring that money earned is saved for the child’s future and allowing content to be removed if it becomes embarrassing or emotionally damaging later in life. Owens highlights that the legislation is crucial given that parents often feature their children in online content and earn money from it.
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, mothers behind the ConneXions Classrooms YouTube channel, were arrested and pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in December 2023. The abuse occurred towards Franke’s two youngest children, leading to their arrest after one of the children sought help from a neighbor. The case has shed light on the hidden reality behind parenting and lifestyle blogs, illustrating how they may only present a curated version of a family’s life and the potential impact on children’s rights to privacy in the spotlight.
Before the ConneXions channel, Ruby Franke ran the 8Passengers parenting vlog featuring her family of six children. However, the empire came crashing down as viewers noticed unusual behavior and punishments towards her children, leading to the halt of content creation in 2019. The memoir written by Shari Franke, titled “The House of My Mother,” reveals details about how she and her siblings were listed as employees of 8Passengers LLC. Franke and Hildebrandt were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison, sparking conversations about the portrayal of family life on social media platforms and children’s rights in such contexts.
The case involving Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt has raised important discussions about parenting and lifestyle blogs, shedding light on the reality behind curated content presented online. It underscores the need for legislation like HB322 to protect minors in the entertainment industry and social media content creation. Shari Franke’s advocacy for child influencers’ rights and protections is a significant step towards safeguarding children who are involved in the digital space, particularly when their parents are social media personalities. This case serves as a wake-up call to the underlying realities of family vlogging and the impact it may have on the lives of children involved.
