Piper Rockelle might be one of the most recognisable faces to emerge from YouTube’s ‘Kidfluencer’ universe. A part of the child content creator presence since its digital infancy, she soared to fame as a social media phenomenon from an early age, but it wasn’t until 2018, when a move orchestrated by her ‘momager’ Tiffany Smith, catapulted the tween into viral territory.
Now, a three-part Netflix docuseries titled Bad Influence: The Dark Side Of Kidfluencing exposes the shocking behind-the-scenes realities of Rockelle’s path to fame, and the true cost of child content creation.
Diving into the disturbing story of Piper Rockelle, her mother Tiffany, and the exploitative ring of kidfluencers she formed, the true crime series provides insights into the shadowy depths and predatory pipeline related to the monetisation of children.
Featuring Piper’s former “Squad-mates” and their parents, the now-teens recount depraved stories of alleged abuse, cult-like manipulation and exploitation at the hands of momager Tiffany, and the series of events that eventually led to a group lawsuit against the momager. But in all of this, both Piper and her mother, Tiffany, remain absent from the docuseries, themselves.
So who exactly is Piper Rockelle and where is she now?
Who Is Piper Rockelle?
Piper Rockelle started out in the pageant world when she was just a toddler and soon pivoted into reality television on the US series “Dance Twins”.
She then began filming YouTube videos at the age of 9 after her mum, Tiffany Smith, noticed her daughter’s natural ease in front of a camera. As her YouTube presence grew, so too did her off-platform career, which included dancing, singing and appearing in various scripted and unscripted shows as a young child, amassing a cult-like tween following that was almost unprecedented at the time.
In 2018, when Piper was just eleven, her mum began recruiting fellow Kidfluencers to join what she called ‘The Squad: A group of child creators who came together to feed the content machine that was the YouTube algorithm.
Together Piper and her Squad members racked up billions of views with videos that ranged from childlike pranks to product unboxings and group dances, but what began as an innocent-enough creative project soon turned sour as the dynamic shifted to something more sinister.
“You’ve got to remember, a lot of these kids joined The Squad during COVID,” said Bad Influence co-director Jenna Rosher. “And a lot of these kids were actors. They weren’t in a regular school situation, they were mostly homeschooled. The Squad provided this amazing community and an opportunity to meet friends and make videos together.”
Amassing over 12 million YouTube followers, Piper continued to be held up as the star of The Squad, while its other members came and went, often being ousted by the momager for speaking out against the alleged cruelties they endured while under her directorship.
“War was waged on you if you left The Squad,” co-director Kief Davidson revealed on the You Can’t Make This Up podcast. “These kids started to become fearful. They started to get hate texts. It was very, very difficult for the kids.”
In January 2022, the toxic environment and predatory behaviour led to 11 of the group’s members to file a lawsuit against Piper’s mum with claims they were “frequently subjected to an emotionally, physically and sometimes sexually abusive environment perpetrated by Piper’s mom.”
Tiffany Smith denied all the allegations and the case was settled out of court for a reported $1.85US million.
What Happened To Piper Rockelle?
Piper, now 17, continues to create content to this day, boasting a huge 6.1 million Instagram followers and 12.1 million followers on YouTube.
Though the video platform demonetised her account after the lawsuit was filed, the influencer still creates vlogs for her millions of fans, including one recent video where she addressed questions about how she makes her money now.
Confirming her income revenue comes mostly from brand deals and TikToks, Piper also touched on the realities of her chosen career, revealing: “Obviously I film vlogs like this, but I don’t really get a lot out of it besides the satisfaction from knowing you guys enjoy watching them…”
“I have no room to complain about my life because things could be a lot worse,” she said in the video. “But what I do have to say is it is hard work on my end. I’ve never had a normal job, but whatever I’m doing right now, it feels like a job. It takes a lot out of me.”
Her accounts are still managed and directed by Tiffany and her mum’s partner. “You can certainly see with Piper that as she’s gotten older — she’s 17 now — the photos have become very risque,” says Davison. “Since the demonetization happened, there’s been paid subscription-type services for Piper to post pictures for people that want to see personalised photos, which you have to actually be 18 or over for. It opens up the doors obviously to all sorts of people who you don’t want looking at a teen that way.”
As of 2025, most of her content is filmed solo, or with her boyfriend, while she occasionally still collaborates with other influencer groups, such as her recent collab with members of the Bop House.
Whatever your views on Kidfluencers are, it’s clear from the docuseries that Piper’s journey is just one example of what occurs in such an unregulated ecosystem where the lines between childhood and currency become increasingly blurred.
“I think it’s really important to know that Piper is a victim here,” Davidson says. “Universally, every single one of the families that we spoke with looks at [it that way].”
What Is Piper Rockelle’s Net Worth?
At the peak of her success she was reportedly earning more than $500,000(US) per month, but following YouTube’s demonetisation of her account, Piper pivoted to multiple streams of income that include brand deals, sponsorships and direct-subscriptions.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, her current net worth sits at US$4 million,
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