If you have spent any time on TikTok recently, you have likely come across countless videos discussing Wren and Jacquelyn. However, many are likely wondering why there is so much outrage surrounding the mother-and-daughter duo.
The conversation on the mother and daughter’s account, @wren.eleanor, is not new. In 2022, significant outcry arose against the account, sparking a social media campaign and coverage from Rolling Stone. Now, a similar social media campaign has begun sweeping through TikTok this month, with countless videos calling for the account’s removal and condemning the exploitation of children on social media. Over the years, Wren and Jacquelyn have become one of the most cited accounts in conversations about the dangers of parents posting their children on social media.
Unfortunately, the fact that scrutiny is resurfacing shows how little things have changed in recent years. Ever since the rise of YouTube and TikTok, family vloggers and family influencers have become a phenomenon. These individuals essentially monetize content featuring their entire family, usually with a special emphasis on the kids. They have become popular because of their closeness to reality TV or for viewers wishing to see what a happy family looks like.
However, many are finding that these channels and accounts are only “happy” at a superficial level. There is no legislation in place that requires parents to compensate their children for filming them daily and invading their privacy. Additionally, some families have been found to be abusing their children and denying them basic necessities while making millions off of filming them.
The Wren and Jacquelyn controversy is particularly important because it demonstrates why child-focused content doesn’t belong on social media in any capacity, regardless of the circumstances.
The dangers of posting children on social media
One glaring issue about family vlogging that is not talked about enough is that it makes children vulnerable to predators. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok are known to have a predator problem. A report by The New York Times found predators would post cryptic comments on family vlogs to alert other predators about the content. Even more disturbingly, research has found that the YouTube algorithm caters to predators, as those searching for sexual content will often be recommended videos with children in them. Demographics have also found that many viewers/subscribers to accounts featuring children are middle-aged men.
Those facts alone have been enough to strike horror and disgust in many parents, leading them to scrub their children from social media altogether. However, others might argue that they can’t help it that terrible people are on the internet and will view their content. The only problem with that argument is what if a parent purposefully capitalized on the views of these predators? To be clear, there is no proof that this is happening on Jacquelyn’s account—but these allegations have arisen multiple times in the past two years.
Who are Wren and Jacquelyn?
As mentioned above, Jacquelyn and her daughter Wren have been on TikTok for years. However, the channel is unlike most family or mommy channels in that it solely focuses on Wren, who is just four years old. Usually, channels featuring children gain attention because they post the daily routines of the whole family, or parents will film what they make their kids for lunch or do family challenges. Jacquelyn does appear occasionally, but only Wren is in every single video. Meanwhile, all the videos are fairly random: Wren talking to her mom after waking up, identifying pictures, doing TikTok challenges, and showing off her outfits.
Having an account solely to film a four-year-old without focusing on parenting, family, or some other theme is very odd. The major problem began when viewers started finding evidence that the account was being targeted by predators. For one, it’s strange that an account about a four-year-old has an astounding 17 million followers. Anytime any content with a child blows up without explanation, it is a red flag, and even child safety experts warn it is an indication that the content has been found by predators.
Additionally, TikTokers have seen inappropriate comments and suggested searches on the platform regarding Wren’s account. Suggested searches are generated based on what people are commenting on and searching, with users seeing suggested searches like “Wren Eleanor eating a hot dog.” Users have also gone through Wren’s followers list and found accounts from middle-aged men who almost solely follow channels with children in them. Reshares are also visible on TikTok, and some have seen videos of Wren being reshared alongside videos of adult content from these users. Additionally, users have found creepy “fan accounts” of Wren, which may be run by predators. Lastly, videos of Wren eating particular foods or wearing specific outfits, like bathing suits, have been bookmarked tens of thousands of times.
Back in 2022, when users first began calling out Jacquelyn, she posted a video claiming she had consulted with specialists, including the FBI, and found no evidence that Wren’s likeness was being found on the dark side of the internet. She even went as far as to say that the backlash was just a “conspiracy theory.” Additionally, she described posting her daughter on social media publicly as a “parenting style” and condemned those “mom-shaming” her for it.
So far, she has not responded to the renewed claims, although she recently turned off comments on all her videos. What’s particularly concerning this time around is that it’s not just internet sleuths speaking out but actual child safety specialists and former FBI workers. Most admit that the channel is exploitative at best and may be attracting predators at worst.
Many users are also alleging that Jacquelyn knows about the predators and specifically posts videos for them. It can’t be denied that there are some baffling videos, such as a random video of Wren talking about swallowing her gum or her doing the same challenge repeatedly where she drinks mystery substances from a straw. Of course, these allegations can’t be proven. After all, the average person doesn’t think about innocent children in this way, and it’s definitely hard to wrap one’s head around how an utterly innocent video could be used in a horrific manner.
However, regardless of whether Jacquelyn is doing this knowingly or not, the fact is that she is profiting off of her four-year-old daughter by creating a channel in which her toddler does all the work. Additionally, she is blatantly ignoring several signs that even experts have warned are red flags on content featuring children. There are several parents who, after seeing an innocent photo or video of their child go inexplicably viral, have pulled them from social media entirely. It’s questionable why the mere threat of a child’s pictures or videos being used sinisterly wouldn’t immediately turn a parent away.
There’s a chance that the Wren and Jacquelyn controversy will merely blow over as it did last time. However, the discourse on it is important because parents need to be hyper-aware of what they’re posting on social media when it comes to their children. Additionally, the outcry is pushing social media platforms to take action against their child predator problem instead of profiting from it.
(featured image: @dorkbait / @theunexpectedspy / @reyahthelastdragon / TikTok)
