Because children are involved, police have not shared many details of this story with the public. What we do know is that on August 30, a third party found one of the children under parenting influencer Ruby Franke’s care “emaciated and malnourished,” with duct tape on their extremities. After the child’s condition was reported to authorities, a judge issued a search warrant for Franke’s house.
Four other children were taken into the care of Child and Family Services in Santa Clara-Ivins. Two of the children were admitted to the hospital for further medical care. Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, have both been charged with “aggravated child abuse – intentionally or knowingly.”
Who is Ruby Franke?
Franke is best known for her former YouTube channel, 8 Passengers. The channel documented her life with her husband and their six children. 8 Passengers reached 2.3 million subscribers during its run but was shut down by YouTube earlier this year. No explanation was given.
In addition to her YouTube channel, Franke also has an Instagram with more than 300,000 followers called @moms_of_truth. A report from NPR stated that Franke’s channels documented daily life with her kids, including showing how she disciplined her kids. Since 2020, people have been ringing alarms about Franke’s parenting.
In a report from People, one incident in which Franke’s daughter went to school without lunch is documented. After being contacted by a teacher, Franke responded by saying the six-year-old was “responsible for making her own lunches in the morning.” She also stated that she hoped no one “stepped in” and gave her daughter lunch.
Investigations by the Utah Division of Child and Family Services yielded “insufficient evidence.”
The rise of influencer parenting
While influencers documenting their family life is not new, in recent years, the trend has become even more alarming. A TikTok account with nearly 300,000 followers documents many of these disturbing pages and accounts. Mom.Uncharted is run by a woman named Sarah who calls out “child exploitation” when she sees it.
Some of the accounts Sarah has flagged are making their children do Cameos and special videos for their adult fans for a fee. Other parents have gone viral for disciplining their children in harsh ways, and filming the incidents for TikTok or Instagram Reels.
Franke is not the first influencer parent to be arrested on charges related to child neglect. TikToker Taylor Frankie Paul was charged earlier this year with assault and domestic violence in front of a child.
There aren’t many studies or literature on the rise of Influencer parenting, so we don’t really know why people feel the need to document their lives and their children’s lives in such detail for strangers. We do know that a few children from YouTube family vlogs have grown up and anonymously spoken out about the neglect they endured as younger children.
Why did it take so long to charge Franke?
There are many systems in place to protect children from abusive parents, but these systems often fail. Teachers are mandated reporters, and doctors and nurses are supposed to speak out when they notice signs of abuse. However, when the parent looks a certain way, they often get away with abuse for years.
A report by The Atlantic documents a Black mother named Debra Harrell who was arrested by police and her child was taken away after she let her 9-year-old play alone in a nearby park while she worked. After three days of playing alone in the park, an adult approached the 9-year-old and later called the police. It only took three days before someone took action to separate a Black mother from her child, but it took more than three years for Franke to be charged.
Franke is a blonde white woman. To some, she appears innocent solely based on her race and gender. There are so many stories similar to Harrell’s. A Black woman goes to work or runs into a store, leaving her child(ren) alone for a while, only to immediately have the police contacted.
If childcare were more accessible to working families, Harrell’s story wouldn’t have happened. No one is arguing that parents should be allowed to leave their children in unsafe circumstances, but the difference in how these situations are handled points to a larger problem. Lack of affordable childcare for married or single parents is a huge issue.
Franke’s family
Franke’s 20-year-old daughter recently spoke out about the arrest, the People article reports. Shari Franke reportedly said that “justice is being served” on her personal Instagram. It appears Franke’s husband has not been arrested, but he has retained a lawyer. Neither legal team has released a statement yet.
(featured image: Moms of Truth on Instagram)
