Posting Your Kids for Profit: A Debate on Child Privacy

The Dr. Phil Podcast

Dr. Phil McGraw

Mental Health, Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Education, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Family vloggers are cashing in on their kids’ lives—but at what cost? As YouTube and TikTok turn everyday parenting into profit, critics are sounding the alarm. Are children being exploited for likes, views, and brand deals? Dr. Phil sits down with social media parents, a former “mommy vlogger,” an online safety expert, and the eldest son of the controversial DaddyOFive channel to discuss the hidden fallout behind the filters. From safety risks and online predators to legal gray areas and emotional damage, this episode asks the hard questions: Is it ethical to build a brand off your children? Should kids have a say in their digital presence—or a share in the profits?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Post, pay, repeat.
0:01.7	Social media isn't just for socializing anymore.
0:04.7	A day in a life of family influencers is just like yours.
0:07.2	We just have cameras.
0:08.0	This is your job.
0:09.0	This supports your family.
0:10.2	Yes.
0:10.8	I have concern about parents using children as actors.
0:15.6	32 million men watching 5,000 children online.
0:20.1	I've never had an instance where we've encountered
0:21.6	like any comments from men.
0:23.6	I'm hearing the wheels turn in your head like,
0:25.6	oh my God.
0:26.6	Well, post, pay, repeat.
0:42.3	Social media isn't just for socializing anymore, it's a lucrative business and the demand
0:47.0	for daily content has fueled the family vlogging trend.
0:52.0	One study found that videos featuring young children get three times as much
0:57.5	traction. So family vloggers are cashing in, but also coming under fire. Now, Ruby
1:05.9	Frankie, of the popular Channel 8 passengers, was just sentenced to up to 30 years in prison after being accused of
1:16.6	torturing two of her children. She often shared footage of harsh punishments, and she's one of the
1:22.6	most egregious examples. Now, Seth and Christy are young parents with 2 million followers on TikTok.
1:30.3	They post about daily life with their two little children and have their share of haters,
	...

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