In today’s social media-driven world, young content creators rise to fame before they’ve even reached high school. However, only a few stories hit as hard as that of Piper Rockelle. From going viral with her playful pranks and dance videos at age eight to being at the center of a multimillion-dollar abuse lawsuit, Piper’s journey is the perfect example of kidfluencing.
Now, Netflix has further put the spotlight on this whole order and Piper through its docuseries ‘Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing.’ So, what really happened behind the scenes of Piper’s viral fame?
Piper Rockelle Shot To Fame For Her Kid-Friendly And Wholesome Content
Piper Rockelle began her career dancing and acting. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2007, she launched her YouTube channel around age eight. With the guidance and management of her mother, Tiffany Smith, Piper quickly gained traction. This then led to her becoming a full-fledged child influencer. Her content was harmless on the surface. It appealed to teens and kids her age and Piper’s kept on growing.
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She wasn’t just a girl with a camera anymore; she was a brand, a business, and a role model to millions. At her peak, her channel was pulling in over half a million dollars a month. Additionally, Piper had more than 12 million subscribers by April 2025. However, not everything was as perfect as it looked.
To further increase her reach, Piper began collaborating with other young influencers. They called themselves The Squad, a group of kids who regularly filmed together and often moved into the Rockelle household to streamline content creation. The Squad consisted of Sophie Fergi, Gavin Magnus, Sawyer Sharbino, and more. It seemed like the perfect setup: a built-in friend group, continuous content, and skyrocketing fame. However, this wasn’t the case at all.
What Went Wrong With The Squad?
In January 2022, the facade came crashing down. Eleven former members of The Squad and their guardians filed a bombshell lawsuit against Piper’s mother, Tiffany Smith, seeking $22 million in damages. Their claims pointed out an emotionally, physically, and sometimes sexually abusive environment. Smith was accused of inappropriately touching minors, making sexually explicit comments to teen boys, and even mailing out Piper’s soiled undergarments to unknown individuals.
“Old men like to smell this stuff,” she allegedly stated. These disturbing allegations were very shocking. According to court filings, Smith reportedly punished Squad members, denied them proper rest, meals, and education, and sabotaged their individual YouTube channels out of spite. She allegedly acted like a dictator on set, controlling not just the content but the very lives of the children involved.
Rather than step away from the limelight, Tiffany Smith doubled down. She filed a $30 million countersuit under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and accused the plaintiffs of extortion. This case was ultimately dropped, but the damage to Piper’s brand was irreversible. By late 2022, YouTube stepped in and demonetized Piper Rockelle’s channel.
The decision meant that Piper could no longer earn ad revenue from her videos. This cost her an estimated loss of up to $500,000 a month. Netflix’s docuseries dives deep into this collapse, speaking with former Squad members and their families to piece together how one of YouTube’s most beloved child stars became the face of one of the platform’s biggest scandals.
Where Is Piper Rockelle Now And What Happened To Her Career?
Now, Piper Rockelle, at the age of 17, continues to post content to platforms like TikTok and Instagram. However, her once-booming YouTube channel has gone silent for months. The scandal, legal disputes, and YouTube’s actions have significantly affected her online presence and income. More controversy erupted earlier in 2025 when Piper visited TikTok’s Bop House.
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The house, known for hosting adult creators on platforms like OnlyFans, was deemed inappropriate for the 17-year-old Piper. Although she did not engage with adult content, a minor being in that space was enough to concern fans. While Piper herself hasn’t been directly implicated in the abuse claims, her close association with her mother makes it difficult to separate the teen influencer from the toxic environment in which she rose to fame.
At its core, Netflix’s ‘Bad Influence’ isn’t just about Piper Rockelle. It’s about a broken system for kid influences. Heather Trimmer, mother of former Squad member Sophie Fergi, said, “The lawsuit was never about money. It was about exposing an industry that is unregulated and the people taking advantage of it.” So, the series unsurprisingly calls for accountability.
