The mastermind behind the popular 8 Passengers YouTube channel, Ruby Franke, and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrant, were both arrested on August 30 for multiple counts of child abuse after one of Franke’s younger children was seen climbing out of a basement window of Hildebrant’s home emaciated, with duct tape around their wrists and ankles.
The arrests come after years of troubling behavior exhibited by Franke on her popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which displays her parenting style and her family’s daily life. At its peak, the channel amassed over 2.5 million subscribers and was known as one of the most infamous family channels online.
The arrests have brought the problematic nature of many family channels to light, with users calling out the dangers of families sharing their children online and the seemingly nefarious things that may be happening behind the scenes.
“Channels like these can be so dangerous for kids,” senior Leonie Manafa said, “Those parents need to understand that kids don’t always need to be on the internet.”
These channels primarily feature young children, often under 10 years old, with some children being featured on the channels from birth. Many netizens, individuals who are active participants in online communities, have spoken out against the practice of broadcasting children from a young age, with some even having their birth made for content and the digital footprint it can leave for them later in life.
“It’s dangerous because kids can’t consent to this stuff,” Senior Jeanelle Bannerman said, “They don’t know what the internet is, and some don’t even have a choice because they’re too young.”
The resurgence in criticism for family channels has not only been limited to 8 Passengers. Other family channels and content creators have also been recently bashed for the content they are putting out. Many have accused the creators of staging meltdowns, overdramatic reactions, and not properly tending to their kids.
“It’s really disturbing sometimes how parents will film really intimate moments,” Manafa said. “We don’t need to see their kid throwing a tantrum, and their first reaction shouldn’t be to pull out a camera.”
The 8 Passengers channel has since been deleted and banned by YouTube, with Franke and Hildebrant’s next hearing being scheduled for late October 2023
“I think it’s good that we know what’s happening behind the scenes,” Bannerman said, “I think now we can start to see family channels for what they really are.”
