Ruby Franke put Shari in front of a camera when she was 9. She wouldn't wish her childhood on anyone.

Shari Franke was only nine years old when her mother created a family YouTube channel called '8 Passengers' and started filming her and her five siblings. Shari is the eldest daughter of 'mommy vlogger' Ruby Franke, who was convicted last year of child abuse.

Five days a week, Shari's face would be uploaded to the internet for millions to see. By 2020, the channel already had more than two million subscribers. 

Now that she's an adult, Shari, 21, is ready to share her side of the story.

Shari is releasing a book entitled The House Of My Mother in January 2025. She's been a prominent voice in the ongoing debate surrounding child influencer laws in the United States.

Now, she's also made the decision to stop sharing her 'private life' with the internet. In a post announcing the exciting news of her engagement, Shari explained she would be retreating from any form of 'influencer' content.

"I'm excited to share that I'm engaged!" she wrote on Instagram. "However, for me, this is the end of me sharing my private life. I've had my voice and agency taken for so long, and now, I'm putting my foot down. I'm not going to talk about my wedding, future husband, or future kids.

"I'll continue to advocate for kids who didn't have a voice (so you'll still be seeing me, don't worry) but this is closure for me. I'm moving on with my life, and that's true freedom and joy. Please respect my privacy and the privacy of my future family, and don't speculate or pry. This is my wish, and my gift to my family."

Shari has announced she won't be sharing her personal life online. Image: Instagram.

Her post follows on from her appearance at the Utah Senate Committee in October, where she offered a first-person perspective on life as a child influencer.

Shari shared her experience of being shoved in front of the camera at a young age and condemned parents who exploit their children for profit by uploading videos of them online.

She explained that for many successful vlogging families, sharing their children's lives online quickly becomes a lucrative source of income.

"The difference between family vlogging and a normal business, however, is that all the children are employees," Shari said. "Children from before they are born until the day they turn 18 have become stars of family businesses on YouTube, Instagram and other social media platforms.

"At first, family vlogging is an alluring business that can bring high revenue. For my family, it became the primary source of income, as is often the case with most full time family vloggers."

Watch part of Shari Franke's testimony. Article continues after video.

Now that she is grown, Shari said that no amount of money was worth having her childhood streamed to millions of people worldwide.

"There is never ever a good reason for posting your children online for money or fame," she said. "There is no such thing as a moral or ethical family vlogger."

While Shari did receive an allowance of money for her appearances, she said that this often took the form of bribes.

"Many child influencers are paid for their work, as I was, and this money has helped me in my adult life. However, this payment was usually a bribe.

"For example, we'd be rewarded $100 or a shopping trip if we filmed a particularly embarrassing moment or an exciting event in our lives. Or other times, simply going on vacation was expected to be payment enough, as most kids don't get to go on regular and expensive trips, never mind that the child's labour is actually what paid for the vacation or trip," she said.

Looking back now, she says she would not wish this existence on any other young children.

"Despite a good paycheck, I want to be absolutely clear that there is no amount of money that can justify selling your soul as a child, to the world. If I could go back and do it all again I'd rather have an empty bank account now and not have my childhood plastered all over the internet," she explained.

The Utah Senate Committee is looking into the impacts of being a 'kidfluencer' and the ethics behind placing a child in front of the camera for views, fame and income.

Shari's words come at a time where states all across America are looking at their child-influencers laws in a new light. Three states, including Illinois, Minnesota and California have already passed laws that ensure financial and privacy protections for child influencers online.

Given Utah has become a hotspot for family vlogging content in recent years, the state of Utah will be next in line to examine their laws surrounding the child-influencer space.

Shari points out that even when the children in question are paid, there is no formal structure around the payment amount.

She said, "There is no law in place to ensure that child influencers get any money from their work, and how do we determine how much a child should make from appearing in family content? What price is worth giving up your childhood?

Her testimony spoke to the detrimental effects that family vlogging can have on young children, who have no choice in being thrown into the influencing space.

"One of our most popular videos was when my eyebrow was accidentally waxed off, and the whole world saw a crying teenager when I just wanted to mourn in private," she said.

"As children we do not understand the consequences of filming our lives and posting it for the world to see. We cannot give consent to our parents to post our lives. In any other context it is understood that children cannot give consent, but for some reason, people think family vlogging is different. "In addition, pedophiles stalk the internet specifically seeking out child influencers. I promise you that parents are aware of these predators and choose to post their children anyway," she continued.

"As child influencers in Utah continue to grow up, I foresee there will be legal crises with these children, realising that vlogging has brought severe emotional distress. Or, these kids may realise they don't have an appropriate amount of money to show for their labour."

The Franke children's lives were put online for all to see. Image: Instagram/moms_of_truth

Shari's own mother, Ruby Franke, was found guilty of four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse.

Ruby and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were both taken into custody after Ruby's 12-year old son escaped to a neighbour's house, pleading for food and water. Ruby Franke will face up to fifteen years in jail for each of the four counts, to be served consecutively.

Despite her family's own specific and devastating circumstances, Shari was clear during her speech that the devastating impact of family vlogging is present for other children, and not unique to her family. "My mother, Ruby Franke, is the prominent family vlogger arrested last year for child abuse. I don't come today as the daughter of a felon, nor a victim of an abnormally abusive mother," she said. "I come today as a victim of family vlogging.

"Family vlogging ruined my innocence long before Ruby committed a crime," she shared.

"I don't want people to look at me and blame my unique circumstances with a mother in prison, to the Franke criminal case. Family vlogging ruined my innocence long before Ruby committed a crime.

Read more: Ruby Franke's children are speaking out, following the abuse they endured at the hands of their mother.

Feature image: Instagram / KSL TV.