“The Squad” shown in Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing. Photo:

Courtesy of Netflix © 2025

Netflix’s Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing pulls the curtain back on the world of child content creation. 

The three-part series, which premiered on April 9, centers on social media star Piper Rockelle, her content creation “squad” and the disturbing abuse allegations against Tiffany Smith, Rockelle’s mom and manager. 

Rockelle began posting content online at 8 years old, starting with the app Musical.ly. By the time she was a tween, her mother had built a social media empire around her that spanned YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Smith also brought several other kids into the fold, forming a content creation group known as The Squad. 

Together, The Squad racked up millions of views on their collaborative, short-form content, but behind the scenes, there were significant allegations of abuse. In January 2022, 11 former Squad members filed a lawsuit against Smith, accusing her of “emotional, verbal, physical, and at times, sexual abuse.”

Two years later, Smith settled the lawsuit, paying $1.85 million. The settlement was entered with all parties specifically disclaiming any liability.

Here’s everything to know about the allegations at the center of Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing.

Piper Rockelle in Netflix’s docuseries ‘Bad Influence’. Netflix

Piper Rockelle was born on Aug. 21, 2007, to single mom Smith. She was raised in Georgia, where she was homeschooled and competed in pageants and dance. 

She began creating social media content at 8 years old, beginning with lip-synching videos on the app Musical.ly, which would later become TikTok. By 2017, Rockelle had amassed thousands of followers across several different platforms, prompting her and her mom to move to Los Angeles.

Rockelle then tried her hand at acting, appearing in several web series from the production company Brat, including Mani and Chicken Girls. She also continued to post online with the help of her mother and her mother’s then-boyfriend, Hunter Hill, who served as Rockelle’s video editor. 

At one point in her career, Rockelle was reportedly making over $​​600,000 a month, per the Los Angeles Times. 

Piper Rockelle and her mom Tiffany Smith in November 2017. Piper Rockelle/ Instagram

Smith is from Canton, Ga., and became a single parent at 26 after Rockelle’s father left while she was pregnant. Recognizing Rockelle’s outgoing personality, Smith enrolled her in pageants at just 3 years old. She then created social media accounts for Rockelle and began posting videos of her, which quickly went viral. 

Smith’s sister, Patience Rock Smith, shared in The Dark Side of Kidfluencing that from a young age, Smith pushed Rockelle to be “the best” — and Rockelle wanted to please her.

“Piper was not in school. When Piper was 8 or so, Ashley [Rock Smith, Patience’s wife] said to Tiffany, ‘You really need to get her in some kind of school, it’s her right to be able to learn,’ ” Patience said. “And that was a big fight. Her main focus was on Piper advancing socially.”

After moving with her daughter to L.A. to further pursue their careers, Patience said Smith began seeing Hill, who was significantly younger than her. He served as Rockelle’s video editor and creative director, while also posing as her older brother online.

“The Squad” shown in Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing. Heather Nichole/Courtesy of Netflix © 2025

Shortly after Smith and Rockelle relocated to L.A., Smith began recruiting other child influencers to join Rockelle’s “Squad” and appear in her videos. The Squad evolved over the years, but some of the key members were Sophie Fergi, Gavin Magnus, Sawyer Sharbino, Hayden Haas, Corinne Joy, Jentzen Ramirez, Claire RockSmith and Symonne Harrison, among others.

Their content focused primarily on the kids performing dances, pulling over-the-top pranks and participating in viral challenges.

From 2017 to 2020, the kids allegedly filmed multiple videos a day, many of which were orchestrated by Smith and Hill. The topics of these videos varied, including the members of The Squad allegedly being asked to stage romantic scenarios with each other, according to NBC News.

Over time, several of the other parents began to distance themselves from Smith and remove their children from the group.

The January 2022 lawsuit further alleged that Smith conspired to “intentionally interfere with and sabotage” their “individual YouTube channels” by using bots and false reporting/flagging that minimized their views “thereby significantly diminishing” their own profits.

Smith denied this in a responsive filing.

Piper Rockelle with her mom Tiffany Smith in May 2017. Piper Rockelle/ Instagram

In January 2022, 11 former members of The Squad and their parents filed a complaint against Smith, accusing her of “harassment, molestation, and abuse.” Hill was also named as a defendant. 

The alleged abuse outlined in the complaint included verbal harassment and inappropriate touching, including allegedly “sticking a finger in Plaintiffs’ butts as they passed by her on or off set,” according to the suit.

The lawsuit further alleged that Smith mailed “Piper’s soiled training bras and panties to an unknown individual,” and made inappropriate comments to the male teenagers in the group relating to penis sizes.

Smith denied all the allegations in her answer to the complaint in a December 2022 interview with the Los Angeles Times. “This whole case is based on lies that are driven by financial jealousy,” she said. “Financial jealousy of a 15-year-old girl.”

The plaintiffs also alleged that the teens weren’t paid for their work and appearances on Rockelle’s channel, though it is unclear if they were promised payment.

“I just want peace back with my kids,” Ashley, Smith’s sister-in-law, told NBC News of the lawsuit, which names her two daughters, Rockelle’s cousins, as plaintiffs.

“I want all predators who hurt young kids to be brought to justice,” she added. “I also hope we move the needle on these platforms that are allowing this.”

Each plaintiff asked for around $2 million in damages from Smith, bringing the total to more than $22 million.

Smith eventually reached a $1.85 million settlement in October 2024 with all parties specifically disclaiming any liability.

Tiffany Smith shown in ‘Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing’ ; Piper Rockelle poses for a photo in March 2025. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025 ; Piper Rockelle/ Instagram

After the allegations against her mom surfaced, YouTube demonetized Rockelle’s channel and removed it from their Partner Program, according to Business Insider.

This move caused Rockelle’s business to lose $300,000 to $500,000 a month, according to court records obtained by the Los Angeles Times. 

Now 17 years old, Rockelle is still living in L.A. and posting on social media.

The teen declined to be a part of the docuseries and has spoken out against the lawsuit. Ahead of the series’ release, she told PEOPLE that the “whole experience” has been “extremely painful.” She continued, “Not just because of the people making ridiculous claims about me and my family — but also how the media has been.”

In July 2022, Smith filed a $30 million countersuit, alleging that the teenagers’ mothers were attempting to extort her. However, she dropped the case just months later in October, per the Los Angeles Times.

Smith also declined to be in the docuseries and continues to deny the allegations against her. In a statement to PEOPLE ahead of the show’s premiere, Smith addressed her decision to settle in court.

“Obviously we didn’t do anything that was alleged, but sadly, money is a big motivator for certain personalities in this world,” she said. “We made the decision to put this behind us because honestly, prolonged litigation would be even more harmful and painful to everyone involved — which includes kids.”