Who’s Protecting Our Child Stars?: If I Were Your Attorney

We’ve all seen the headlines. Honey Boo Boo’s reality show antics. Piper Rockelle’s glam TikToks. Young faces racking up millions of followers, brand deals, and YouTube checks. But here’s the question I keep asking:

Who’s protecting these kids?

As a civil rights attorney, I’ve represented survivors of abuse, coercion, and systemic failures across schools, churches, and juvenile institutions. What I’m seeing now in the entertainment and influencer world is no different—it’s just packaged in filters, followers, and fame.

🎬 The Faces of a Larger Problem

HONEY BOO BOO

She was just a child when she became a household name. What started as reality TV entertainment quickly spiraled into a media circus. Cameras followed her every move, often highlighting dysfunction rather than protecting her development. Who made the money? Adults. Who got the trauma? The kid.

PIPER ROCKELLE

Now a teenage influencer with millions of followers and at the center of multiple lawsuits. Piper’s case raises questions about parental control, online exploitation, and what rights kids really have when their image is monetized 24/7.

AMANDA BYNES

She was once one of the brightest stars on Nickelodeon. With sketch comedy skills that rivaled top adult comedians, Amanda was a household name by age 10. But behind the laughter was a child who never got to grow up privately. Fame hit fast, hard, and without protection. Later, she spiraled publicly, was hospitalized, placed under conservatorship, and used as tabloid fodder. Everyone watched her breakdown, but who helped her heal? Amanda’s story is a glaring example of what happens when child stars are chewed up by an industry that profits off their charm, then discards them the moment they show pain.

If I Were Their Attorney…

I’d push for:

• Court-appointed advocates for any child generating substantial income through media.
• Laws requiring platforms to set aside earnings in protected trust accounts for minors.
• Limits on what parents can post or monetize about their children online.
• Immediate restrictions on adult content featuring minors, even in the form of suggestive TikToks or “comedy” skits.

 What Happens When Kids Aren’t Protected?

When kids are exploited for content or coerced into “performing” for the internet:

• They grow up without boundaries.
• They’re taught their value is tied to likes, views, or deals.
• They suffer anxiety, PTSD, depression, and deep mistrust in adults.
• They often don’t know who they are outside of their public identity.

We don’t need more documentaries about ruined childhoods. We need change now.

 What You Can Do

• Stop sharing exploitative content, even if it’s viral.
• Talk to your kids about digital boundaries and their rights.
• Support legislation that protects child influencers and limits parental exploitation.
• Speak up if you see minors being used for content that crosses the line.

And let me be clear:
If you exploited a child for profit, we’re coming for you.
That means parents, managers, brands, agencies, platforms. Everyone who participated in or profited from the harm.
No more hiding behind contracts. No more blaming the algorithm. No more passing it off as “entertainment.”

And If You’re a Survivor…

If your image, voice, or body was used for content you didn’t consent to, if you were filmed, posted, or monetized against your will, even by your own parents—you are not at fault.

If I were your attorney, I’d tell you this:
You have rights. You have a voice. And it’s not too late to reclaim your story.

Want to talk?
Visit www.smolen.law/contact or email me directly at don@smolen.law. All inquiries are confidential.

Let’s fight for the kids the internet forgot to protect.