Netflix’sBad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencingoffers insight into the social media presence of Piper Rockelle’s Squad group and the struggles and issues they faced behind the online posts. The newest addition toNetflix’s growing list of impressive documentaries,Bad Influencedepicts how Tiffany Smith, a single mother, established a group of young content creators known as The Squad, to help her daughter Piper achieve online recognition. Created by Kief Davidson, the three-partNetflix series about a true storyshows how Smith and her partner Hunter Hill came up with the idea and the different behind-the-scenes struggles.
Piper Rockelle began her online career at a young age onYouTube; as her popularity online and income increased, her mother, Tiffany Smith, decided to form a group of friends consisting of young creators similar in age to her daughter, to help boost audiences. While The Squad’s videos were portrayed as innocent and humorous, throughoutBad Influence, interviews with former Squad members and their parents reveal that while the cameras were off, the group allegedly faced physical and emotional abuse under Tiffany Smith. Theallegations against Tiffany Smithresulted in a lawsuit filed by 11 former members in 2022.
17Piper Rockelle
The Leader Of The Squad
Netflix’s docuseries depicts how Piper Rockelle grew up participating in beauty pageants before transitioning to YouTube. Rockelle’s aunt, Ashley RockSmith, stated that Tiffany Smith was determined to prove “[Piper] was worth something” and she “wanted Piper to be the best.” While she refused to participate inBad Influence, through archival footage from the YSBNow Podcast, Rockelle stated that she grew interested in social media through her use of the now-defunct app, Musical.ly, before receiving permission from her mother to create a YouTube channel. Rock-Smith stated that Rockelle was “just a natural” in front of the camera.
Rockelle continues to defend her mother against the allegations made by her former Squad friends and has slammed the Netflix docuseries as “untrue.”
Since the disbandment of The Squad, Rockelle continues to post content on social media through her TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube accounts, having a combined total of over 32 million followers. YouTube demonetized Rockelle’s channel in 2022 due to the allegations against her mother (viaNME). Rockelle continues to defend her mother against the allegations made by her former Squad friends and has slammed the Netflix docuseries as “untrue.” Rockelle has stated that she still enjoys vlogging, saying “I get a lot of fun memories that I can go back and watch” (viaForbes).
16Claire & Reese RockSmith (Left In 2021)
Participated In The Lawsuit Against Smith
Claire and Reese RockSmith are Piper Rockelle’s cousins by marriage and joined The Squad in 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic, initially supported by their parents, Ashley and Patience. InBad Influence, Claire stated that growing up, she “was always obsessed with having something to do with the camera,” while her mother Patience said that she saw the Squad as an opportunity to reform a bond with her sister, Tiffany. Their parents stated that Tiffany Smith’s increasingly erratic behavior during filming led to their eventual decision to leave the Squad in 2021.
In episode 3 of the series, RockSmith and her parents revealed that she received negative comments from viewers after her departure from the Squad, with RockSmith stating that it happened at a time when she was “vulnerable.” In the lawsuit, the sisters made allegations of sexual abuse against her aunt, which were denied by Smith.
Since the release of the Netflix docuseries, Claire Rocksmith has stated via her Instagram account, that she has received a large surge of online support. Both girls remain active on social media, with Claire starring in the YouTube series,WHO’S CLAIRE?, about a young girl who runs away from home (viaPeople).
15Corinne Joy (Left In 2019)
Corinne Joy first met Piper Rockelle in 2017 after successfully auditioning to be one of Rockelle’s backup dancers in the showDance Twins;the two became fast friends and Corinne’s mother, Steevy Areeco, stated that she and Smith bonded over their daughters wanting to be famous on social media. In 2018, Joy was invited to join Rockelle’s Squad in Los Angeles, which she and her mother accepted. Joy only stayed as a member for a year before leaving in 2019.
14Sophie Fergi (Left In 2020)
Sophie Fergi started her career as a child actress in 2018 on the web series Mani; she joined Piper Rockelle’s Squad at a young age and she and her mother quickly formed a bond with Piper and Tiffany Smith, respectively (viaNational Today). During filming, the members of the Squad were usually paired together by Smith and Hunter Hill as young couples, and Sophie was “shipped” with fellow Squad member, Jentzen Ramirez. InBad Influence, early videos of Ramirez and Fergi acting as a couple are shown, which Johna Ramirez described as “fine” but later escalated to “being inappropriate.”
Fergi left The Squad in 2020 and cited physical and sexual mistreatment against Tiffany Smith in the lawsuit, which Smith denied (viaCosmopolitan). In the docuseries, Fergi described how the group worked long hours without breaks, filming “up to 10 to 15 videos a day”; archival footage depicts Fergi being called out by the Squad’s dog Frank, voiced by Smith, for being “lazy” and “messy.” Fergi’s YouTube channel has not been active since 2024, but she continues to post content on TikTok and Instagram and has since joined the podcast seriesGirl Talk.
13Sawyer Sharbino (Left In 2021)
Sawyer Sharbino began his YouTube career in 2015, posting prank videos and challenges, and quickly amassed a large following which caught the attention of Piper Rockelle, who invited him to collaborate with her. During his time in the Squad, Sharbino was “shipped” with Indi Starr, and he described filming “couple’s content” in the docuseries as “really awkward and embarrassing” as, in reality, he wasn’t romantically interested in Starr. Sharbino left the Squad in 2021, explaining inBad Influencethat his frustration with “being told what to do and doing it” was taking away his enjoyment of filming content.
Sharbino has stated that his online following dropped significantly after his The Squad departure, claiming that this was a result of targeting by Smith, which Smith denied. He also stated that he was often separated from his mother, Angela, during filming due to the heavy work schedule; he and his mother later participated in the lawsuit against Smith and Hill. Sharbino continues to post regularly on his TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube accounts and has since transitioned to acting, with small roles in movies such asMiracles in Heaven(2016) andSlayers(2022), while also performing as a musician (viaMoviedelic).
12Symonne Harrison (Left In 2021)
One of The Squad’s original members, Symonne Harrison is an actress and dancer who joined the group in 2018. While she wasn’t interviewed for theNetflix docuseries, former Squad member, Sawyer Sharbino, recalled how the group was ordered by Smith and Hill to act meanly towards Harrison on her birthday in order to increase viewership; video footage depicts the Squad members acting dismissively towards Harrison and making negative comments towards her, which was described by Angela Sharbino as “cutthroat.”
After leaving the Squad in 2021, Harrison took part in the lawsuit against Smith and has had acting credits in the TV series,Crown Lake(2022), and the movieThis Christmas Dance(2021). In 2025, she launched her podcast,The Friendzone,on YouTube and Spotify, where she discusses friendships and experiences with toxic relationships. Harrison has expressed her enjoyment of releasing the podcast, stating that she “poured [her] heart, soul, creative juices and everything [she has] into this project” (viaTV Insider).
11Ayden Mekus (Left In 2021)
An actor and content creator, Ayden Mekus began his career starring in short movies includingUtensils(2018),To Smell The Roses(2019), andEl Fred(2020). He joined Piper Rockelle’s Squad in 2020, where he was “shipped” with both Symonne Harrison and Claire RockSmith. Video footage shown inBad Influenceshows Mekus and RockSmith taking part in a “Copy My Crush” video, during which RockSmith revealed she was instructed by Smith to show her bra for the video’s thumbnail, while Mekus was depicted not wearing his shirt.
Although he wasn’t interviewed forBad Influence, Mekus was named as a participant in the lawsuit against Smtih and Hill in 2022. Since leaving The Squad, Mekus has continued his acting career, having collaborated with YouTube creator, Dhar Mann, for five years, and appearing in the comedy-dramaCotton Candy Bubble Gum(2025). Mekus regularly posts to TikTok and Instagram, where he has a combined 14 million followers (viaYahoo Entertainment).
10Gavin Magnus (Left In 2019)
Did Not Participate In The Lawsuit
Gavin Magnus served as a prominent member of The Squad’s videos as he and Piper Rockelle were “shipped” as a couple. Video footage in the docuseries shows Rockelle and Magnus being pressured by other Squad members to kiss each other. Ashley RockSmith stated that Tiffany Smith was “ripping off whatever was trending” and she saw that pairing children together as a couple could draw in millions of views, so she chose to pair her daughter and Magnus together as “Pavin”. Sophie Fergi also stated that Tiffany Smith took an unhealthy interest in Magnus and “would make inside jokes towards him.”
Magnus was taken out of The Squad in 2019 by his mother and described his experience with Tiffany Smith as stressful and abusive; inBad Influence, Magnus appeared in an Instagram story where he stated that “it was my parents who pulled me out of a toxic environment, which I’m super glad they did.” Magnus did not participate in the lawsuit against Tiffany Smith, but in 2019, his parents drafted a legal complaint alleging inappropriate behavior which was never filed. Magnus has since reconciled with Piper Rockelle as they have continued to collaborate on both YouTube and TikTok (viaMoviedelic).
9Donald Dougher (Left In 2021)
Known on social media as “Donlad”, Donald Dougher began posting content on YouTube in 2019; he regularly posted money-making challenges and was known on social media as “The Richest Kid In America” with a net worth of $1.2 million (viaTuko). Dougher was a member of Piper Rockelle’s Squad until 2021 and appeared in several of her challenge videos. During his time in The Squad, Dougher was “shipped” with Indi Starr and the two collaborated on several “couple” videos that were posted on Dougher’s YouTube account.
8Walker Bryant (Left In 2021)
Walker Bryant began his career starring in commercials and guest starring on TV shows before joining The Squad at the age of 13, after receiving an invitation via Instagram from Piper Rockelle. He was brought on to The Squad to replace Gavin Magnus and was “shipped” by Tiffany Smith as Piper Rockelle’s new boyfriend; the two were known on social media as “Piker.” Sophie Fergi stated inBad Influencethat “if somebody leaves the Squad, they just hire the next person who… can play that part.” Bryant remained a member of The Squad until 2021.
Bryant was pulled out of the Squad in 2021 after a controversial prank video was aired on YouTube; his mother, Jennifer revealed that her son didn’t want to leave, but she withdrew him for his safety. Bryant was a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Tiffany Smith in 2022. Jennifer Bryant described Smith as a “master manipulator” and her behavior during filming was “idiotic” (viaLos Angeles Times). Bryant no longer posts content on his YouTube channel, but he is still active on TikTok and Instagram, where he posts content about his workout routines and daily activities.
