A lawsuit has been reached in which Tiffany Smith, the mother of YouTuber Piper Rockell, was accused of “years of emotional, verbal, and physical abuse.”
Piper Lockell/Instagram Piper Lockell and her mother Tiffany Smith
A child abuse lawsuit against YouTuber Piper Rockel’s mother, Tiffany Smith, has been settled nearly three years after the lawsuit was filed in January 2022.
The original complaint alleges that 11 teenage content creators were “frequently subjected to mental, physical, and sometimes sexual abuse by Mr. Smith on and off-set during filming sessions for Piper’s YouTube channel.” did.
The plaintiffs, all minors, were members of the “Piper Squad” from 2017 to 2020. They participated in various stories and vlog-style content uploaded to Rockel’s YouTube channel, which has more than 10 million subscribers.
The complaint alleges that the plaintiffs “expended significant time, effort, and expense collaborating” on the YouTube channel “without any compensation.” The complaint also alleges that Smith subjected her to “inappropriate, aggressive, and abusive treatment,” including “highly offensive and sexually explicit comments.”
People reached out to Smith for comment.
Related article: YouTube star Piper Rockel’s mother accused of abuse by 11 teenage members of ‘Piper Squad’
Piper Lockell/Instagram Piper Lockell and her mother Tiffany Smith
Among the allegations against Smith are that he placed the minor in uncomfortable situations, that Smith chased the plaintiff around the house “while yelling obscene and sexually graphic phrases” and that he asked the plaintiff questions about his sex life. The charges include fostering a toxic environment, including “encouraging” the plaintiff to engage in sexual activity. He provided oral sex and “hemp brownies to the plaintiff, who unknowingly ingested them.”
The complaint also alleges that Smith “deliberately” did so after the members attempted to break out of the “squad.” [interfered] and [sabotaged]โIndividual YouTube channels are losing subscribers and video views.
“Tiffany robbed me of my youth at a young age,” said Sophia F., one of the plaintiffs. “This lawsuit was never about money. It was about making sure no other child could do what she did to me.”
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Plaintiffs hope the lawsuit will not only “serve as a warning to others” but also “raise awareness of the potential dangers to minors” in the growing digital influencer industry. .
Ashley Ann Locke Smith, the mother of two plaintiffs, spoke to NBC News about the April 2023 lawsuit. “I just want peace with my children,” she said of her daughters, who appeared in 94 videos on the channel. โWe also hope to bring about changes in the platforms that enable this.โ
Although there are strict laws against children on TV and movie sets, there are currently no regulations in place for filming in “non-traditional filming environments like YouTube,” the volunteer’s lawyer said. Matthew Sarelson told NBC News.
The original complaint also alleges that the teenage creators were not paid for their contributions, although it is unclear whether any payment was promised. Each of the teens involved in the lawsuit is seeking approximately $2 million in damages from Smith.
In July 2022, Smith and Rockel countersued for $30 million against the mothers of 11 former Piper Squad members. She claimed they were involved in a conspiracy to defame her and extort money.
Smith voluntarily dropped the lawsuit in October, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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“We all love YouTube and it’s a great place, but when someone wants to use YouTube as a business and bring in other kids, they have to hold themselves to certain standards.” Stevie Arico, the mother of another teen creator, told NBC News. . “We want to protect our children.”
In September 2024, California took a stand to protect child influencers on social media. These two laws provide financial protection to child influencers, with a portion of their earnings set aside in a trust account.
“Under new state labor law, child creators on all platforms will receive a revenue-based trust fund available to them once they turn 18,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X (formerly Twitter) on September 26th. It will happen,โ he wrote.
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