{"id":2187776,"date":"2024-02-27T14:25:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T19:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ruby-frankes-first-red-flag-was-deciding-to-pimp-out-her-kids-lives-for-views\/"},"modified":"2024-02-27T14:42:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T19:42:13","slug":"ruby-frankes-first-red-flag-was-deciding-to-pimp-out-her-kids-lives-for-views","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ruby-frankes-first-red-flag-was-deciding-to-pimp-out-her-kids-lives-for-views\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruby Franke&#8217;s first warning sign was when she chose to exploit her children for attention"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fruby-frankes-first-red-flag-was-deciding-to-pimp-out-her-kids-lives-for-views%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2187776&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Shocking Reality Behind the &#8220;8 Passengers&#8221; \u200bYouTube Channel<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If \u2063you told any\u2063 of\u200b the early subscribers of the seemingly family-friendly \u201c8 Passengers\u201d YouTube\u2064 channel that the mother behind the camera would eventually be convicted as a child abuser,\u2064 they probably\u200d wouldn\u2019t believe you. Yet, it\u2019s reality.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Eight years after Ruby Franke decided to begin documenting\u200b her six children\u2019s lives and uploading the vlogs\u2062 to \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">social media<\/a>, the Utah \u2062influencer pleaded guilty \u200dto four of\u200c six counts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-teacher-arrested-for-allegedly-spraying-disinfectant-at-students-who-didnt-wear-masks-properly-faces-felony-child-abuse-charges\/\" title=\"Florida teacher arrested for allegedly spraying disinfectant at students who didn't wear masks properly, faces felony child abuse charges\">felony child abuse<\/a> and faces\u200d what\u2064 could total up to 30 years \u2063in prison.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-99318020\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-81e23f2f0731b5e2795b9e2963fbf2d3 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-81e23f2f0731b5e2795b9e2963fbf2d3\"><\/div>\n<p>The picture-perfect \u200dblonde mom\u2064 spent every weekday for more than half of \u200ba decade showcasing her family\u2019s daily routines and activities for the \u2064world \u200dto see.<\/p>\n<p>The vlogs also featured evidence of \u200dneglect and abuse, like when she bragged about\u2062 forcing her teenage son to sleep on \u200ba beanbag outside of his\u2062 bedroom for\u2063 the better part \u200bof a year after he pranked his younger brother.\u200b But \u2063millions of followers, some of whom have\u200d self-described \u201caddiction\u201d to watching family vlogs, and billions of\u200c views indicated Franke\u2019s audience \u200bwas willing to \u2064give her the benefit of the doubt\u2064 on questionable behavior like routinely withholding food from her\u2062 children \u2063as punishment so the show would go on.<\/p>\n<p>Franke\u200d eventually separated from\u2064 her husband\u2063 and strayed from vlogging to join fellow\u200c Mormon counselor Jodi Hildebrandt\u2063 in 2022 in offering parenting \u2064advice via\u200b classes, videos, podcasts, and social media chat groups. \u200dDuring that time, Franke\u2019s oldest daughter, who previously cut ties with her mom, and neighbors called the cops several times to request welfare checks \u200don the \u2064youngest Frankes, who were often left home alone.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t until Franke\u2019s\u200b emaciated youngest son, 12, showed up \u200bon a neighbor\u2019s doorstep in \u200cAugust 2023 \u2063with \u201copen \u2062wounds and\u2063 duct tape around the extremities\u201d caused by \u201cdeep \u2063lacerations from\u200d being tied up with rope\u201d asking for food\u2064 and water, however, that law enforcement took action. Police soon discovered that the boy and his\u200c 10-year-old sister, both malnourished, were held\u200c at Hildebrandt\u2019s house, which \u200bcontained supplies like\u2063 ropes, \u2064handcuffs, pastes made of\u200b cayenne pepper and honey, bandages, and plastic wrap.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-367e053d3d77c253e2bed7cf03ee4710 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-367e053d3d77c253e2bed7cf03ee4710\"><\/div>\n<p>The discovery led \u2062to\u2064 the arrest of both Franke and Hildebrandt and the transfer \u200bof the youngest four of Franke\u2019s children into state custody. After six months\u200d of investigation and trial, \u200bFranke and\u2062 Hildebrandt both were convicted of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-official-faces-criminal-charge-after-accidentally-shooting-grandson-at-nebraska-wedding\/\" title=\"Texas official charged after accidentally shooting grandson at Nebraska wedding.\">felony child \u2064abuse<\/a>, and Franke\u2019s channel\u200c was permanently deleted \u200band banned from\u2064 YouTube.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">It\u2019s \u2062Time For Family Vloggers To\u200d Wave The\u200b White Flag<\/h2>\n<p>The Frankes\u2019\u200b problems didn\u2019t simply start\u200b in\u2064 August 2023 when their matriarch was arrested. They didn\u2019t even begin, as a well-documented video trail of emotional\u200c and mental\u2063 mistreatment \u200dsuggests, during the peak of the\u2064 family\u2019s viral \u2062videos.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bexploitation of the Franke\u200c children began \u200din\u2064 2015 \u200bwhen their mother picked up a \u2064camera and made \u200dthe decision to publicize the \u200dintimate details of \u200bthe better part of her family\u2019s lives on the internet for all to see. For the sake\u200d of fame and fortune, family vloggers like Franke choose to make commodifying children their day job.<\/p>\n<p>No child should be subject to the abuse the Franke\u2064 children, especially the youngest \u200btwo, endured while under Franke and Hildebrandt\u2019s watch. Similarly, no \u2063kid should be \u200csubject to \u2064the exploitation\u2062 the Franke\u200d children endured as\u200c the\u2064 main acts in their \u2062mom\u2019s daily videos.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-24b44687352024cffeaa7ae3c6a0aa07 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-24b44687352024cffeaa7ae3c6a0aa07\"><\/div>\n<p>Unfortunately,\u200d the family vlogging to child abuse conviction\u200d pipeline is not uncommon. Sure, not all family\u200b vloggers\u2064 are and are\u2062 unlikely\u2064 to ever be convicted child abusers. \u200cBut it\u2019s not\u2063 a stretch to say that parents who don\u2019t recognize the importance of \u200dprotecting their kids\u2019 privacy and innocence face a slippery exploitation slope that leads \u200dto regret and \u200cbroken relationships.<\/p>\n<p>In the cases of the Frankes, the\u2064 FamilyOFive, and Fantastic\u2064 Adventure\u2063 vlogging families, parents who made making content their\u2062 income stream\u2062 deliberately \u2064failed to meet \u2064their kids\u2019 emotional and physical needs.<\/p>\n<p>Even without the\u2063 in-home abuse that plagued the Frankes and other vlog families, \u2062kids whose parents immortalize their faces and voices on the World \u200dWide Web easily become victims of sexualized imagery or \u2064fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Vlog children are fruit ripe for the picking by pedophiles who need nothing more than access to the internet\u2063 to see everything, from pool\u200d days to potty training, that parents post on their public accounts.<\/p>\n<p>A recent \u200bNew York Times\u2063 report\u2062 hinted that the parents who run these accounts know\u2063 who is consuming their content. They have access to data and \u2063demographics like the sex and\u2063 age of the people frequently tuning into videos of\u2062 their young sons and daughters and can \u200csee the comments \u2063\u201cwhere men \u2064openly \u2063fantasize \u200babout sexually \u200dabusing the children they follow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jaded by the moneymaking opportunities of underage modeling and brand influencing, \u201cthousands\u201d of parent-run accounts\u2062 ignore the disparate number of ill-intentioned men devouring pictures of their\u2064 young girls in skimpy bikinis or cheer \u2063outfits and offer \u201cexclusive chat sessions\u201d to the highest bidder.<\/p>\n<p>The fate of the\u2063 Frankes should serve as a cautionary tale. Anyone who is willing to pimp out their children\u2019s \u2064innocence and privacy for creeps\u2019 clicks clearly isn\u2019t right in the head.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How did law enforcement become involved\u2063 in the case of the Franke children?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  The Shocking Reality Behind the &#8220;8 Passengers&#8221; YouTube \u2062Channel<\/p>\n<p>If you told any of the early subscribers \u200bof the seemingly family-friendly \u201c8 Passengers\u201d YouTube channel that the mother behind the camera would eventually be convicted as \u2062a child abuser, they probably wouldn\u2019t believe you. Yet, it\u2019s reality.<\/p>\n<p>Eight years after Ruby Franke decided\u200d to begin documenting her six children\u2019s lives \u200band uploading the vlogs to social media, the Utah\u200d influencer pleaded guilty to four of six counts of \u200dfelony\u2064 child abuse and faces what could total up to 30 years\u200b in prison.<\/p>\n<p>The picture-perfect blonde mom spent every weekday for more than half of a\u2063 decade showcasing her family\u2019s daily routines and \u2063activities for the world to see.<\/p>\n<p>The vlogs also featured evidence \u200dof neglect and abuse,\u2062 like when she bragged about forcing\u200c her teenage son to sleep on a beanbag outside of his bedroom for the better part of a year after he pranked his younger brother. But millions of followers, some \u2064of whom have self-described \u201caddiction\u201d to watching family vlogs, and billions of \u2064views \u200cindicated Franke\u2019s audience was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt on questionable behavior like \u2062routinely withholding food from her children as punishment \u200cso the show would go on.<\/p>\n<p>Franke eventually separated\u200c from her husband and strayed\u200c from vlogging to join \u2062fellow Mormon counselor Jodi Hildebrandt in 2022 in offering parenting advice via classes, videos, podcasts, and social\u2063 media chat groups. During that time, Franke\u2019s oldest\u2064 daughter,\u2063 who previously cut ties with her mom, and\u2062 neighbors\u2062 called the\u2063 cops several times to request \u200bwelfare checks on the youngest Frankes, who were often\u2064 left home\u200d alone.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t until \u2062Franke\u2019s \u200bemaciated \u2063youngest son, 12, showed up on a neighbor\u2019s\u2064 doorstep in August 2023 with \u201copen wounds and duct tape around the extremities\u201d \u2062caused by \u201cdeep lacerations from being tied up with \u200crope\u201d \u2063asking for food and water, however, that law enforcement took action. Police soon discovered \u200cthat the boy and his 10-year-old sister, both\u2064 malnourished, were held at Hildebrandt\u2019s house, which contained supplies like ropes, handcuffs, pastes made of cayenne pepper and honey, bandages, and\u2064 plastic wrap.<\/p>\n<p>The discovery led to the arrest of both Franke and Hildebrandt and the transfer of the youngest\u200b four of Franke\u2019s children into state\u2064 custody. After six months\u2062 of investigation and trial, Franke and Hildebrandt\u200c both were convicted of felony child\u200d abuse, and Franke\u2019s channel was permanently deleted and banned from YouTube.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s Time For \u2062Family Vloggers To Wave The White Flag<\/p>\n<p>The\u2063 Frankes\u2019 problems \u200ddidn\u2019t\u200b simply start in August 2023 when their matriarch was arrested. They didn\u2019t even begin, as a well-documented video trail of emotional and\u200c mental mistreatment suggests, during the peak of the family\u2019s viral videos.<\/p>\n<p>The exploitation of the Franke children began in 2015 when their mother picked up a camera and made the\u200b decision to publicize the intimate details of\u2063 the\u2063 better part of her family\u2019s\u200b lives on the internet for all to see. For\u200c the sake of \u2063fame and fortune, family \u200cvloggers\u200b like Franke choose to make commodifying children their day\u2063 job.<\/p>\n<p>No child should be subject to\u200c the abuse the Franke children, especially the youngest two, endured while under \u200bFranke and \u200cHildebrandt\u2019s watch. Similarly, no kid should be \u200csubject to the exploitation the Franke children endured as the main acts in their \u2062mom\u2019s daily videos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you had told early subscribers of the &#8220;8 Passengers&#8221; YouTube channel that the mother behind the camera would be convicted as a child abuser, they wouldn&#8217;t believe it. But it&#8217;s true. Eight years after Ruby Franke started documenting her children&#8217;s lives and uploading vlogs, this shocking reality unfolded<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2187777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-8.32.29-AM-e1708960489779-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2187776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-26-at-8.32.29-AM-e1708960489779-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2187776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2187777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2187776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2187776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2187776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}