11 teenage YouTube stars accuse of being exploited and harassed collectively

Tiffany Smith, the mother of 15-year-old YouTuber Piper Rockelle, is facing a class-action lawsuit from a group of content creators and is set to go to court later this year, the NY Post reported.

In a lawsuit filed in January 2022, 11 teenage internet stars said they were “sexually, physically and mentally abused, and were not paid for their work as agreed.”

These 11 are familiar faces, appearing on the YouTube channel called Piper Squad, which has more than 10 million subscribers and stars Smith's daughter.

Tiffany Smith (right) and her boyfriend are the two main producers of the YouTube channel Piper Squad. Photo: Insider.

In total, the plaintiffs are seeking at least $22 million in damages from Smith and her boyfriend, Hunter Hill, who also produced the film. The civil trial was originally scheduled for mid-April in Los Angeles County Circuit Court, but was later postponed to November 6, 2023.

Internet stars accuse of being harassed and forced to act in love scenes

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs accuse Tiffany Smith of being a “control freak” while “taking care” of a cast of YouTubers while producing content for the Piper Squad channel.

Accordingly, Smith is accused of making shocking comments, asking sensitive questions, and insulting a female YouTuber's body.

The complaint says Smith mailed her daughter’s underwear to a stranger because “older men like that stuff.”

YouTuber group featured in YouTube channel with over 10 million subscribers. Photo: BI.

The woman was also accused of touching her legs, thighs and buttocks, encouraging the group of teenage internet stars to display bold displays of affection in YouTube videos to make the stunt appear more authentic.

Previously, despite being underage, YouTubers said they were asked to act out romantic “falling in love” scenes to fool young audiences.

NBC News reported that these fake scenarios have caused online bullying, as these YouTubers are attacked by the online community.

"I just want my girls to be safe and I want everyone who hurt kids to be brought to justice," said Ashley Anne-Rock Smith, a mother of two and Smith's cousin. Her two daughters have appeared in nearly 100 Piper Squad videos.

In the lawsuit, the YouTubers said they were forced to act in age-inappropriate love scenes. Photo: NY Post.

Last July, Tiffany Smith sued for $30 million and accused the YouTubers' mothers of conspiring to extort her by making false sexual abuse allegations, but she later voluntarily dropped the lawsuit.

One of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs called Smith's claims “baseless.”

“They lost their childhood. Some of my clients have decided to delete themselves from social media because of bad experiences,” the lawyer said.

Smith's daughter, Piper Rockelle, began her internet stardom at just 9 years old. Piper's YouTube channel, which had more than 10 million subscribers, was demonetized in February 2022, after a lawsuit against her mother was filed.

Rockelle now makes money by selling merchandise, touring around the US to perform and meet fans.

(Source: Zing News)

Useful
Emotion
Creative
Unique
Wrath

Source: https://vtc.vn/11-sao-tuoi-teen-tren-youtube-to-bi-boc-lot-quay-roi-tap-the-ar767076.html