Woman gives people rare insight into what it was like growing up with family vloggers

Family vlogging has exploded in recent years, with parents sharing their daily lives and private moments for online entertainment. But for the children growing up in the spotlight, the constant attention and scrutiny can take a toll. A 23-year-old Reddit user, u/imonlineforever, opened up about her experience being raised in a family where everything was filmed around the clock. She shared how her parents got into family vlogging and why she grew to resent it.

"I was raised by parents whose family blogged," the post started. "They began vlogging in 2013, almost by accident as a video of my brother went viral. It was something I disliked from the beginning as I was a shy child and that didn't fit in with what my parents wanted from me and my siblings. I want to share my story to raise awareness but please don't try and guess who me and my family are as it will start a fight with my parents I'm not in a position to deal with it yet." She continued that at the height of their fame, her parents amassed about 2 million subscribers on social media. 

The problem was, that they targeted the demographic of adult men with their family vlogging content. "Now as an adult, I realize that their content was catered towards these men. I was one of five girls, all a year apart in age and those five years were an absolute goldmine for my parents. Period videos, getting first bras, having first kisses, all massive hits with middle-aged creepy men.

We eventually ended up being homeschooled so that we didn't have any external distractions and we weren't allowed to make friends unless they were also part of family vlogging channels," the woman lamented.

She also revealed how her parents would only film and post positive things on their vlogging channel. Through the screen, the viewers thought that they had a picture-perfect life but the reality was far worse than one's imagination. "My dad was abusing my mom, they were arguing constantly and my dad ended up having an affair. The channel ended when my mom found out and they divorced, which nobody online knows. They blew through the money on drinking, drugs and vacations they went on without us. I barely have a relationship with my parents because I can't forgive them for taking my privacy away from me," she concluded, letting fellow Reddit users know that she is open to answering their questions.

u/A_Year_Of_Storms suggested, "Have you thought about exposing them? I have the utmost sympathy. I don't and wouldn't post any family photos anywhere online because I want to leave that decision to any future children I may have. People like me would love to know your story and would take its lessons to heart." u/irinaselena advised, "I’m really sorry to hear about what you went through. Sharing your story can be empowering, but make sure to protect your own well-being first. Seeking therapy might also help you process these experiences."

u/ Disastrous-Panda5530 added, "I’ve always hated parents that would record their lives and their kids. It seemed so invasive for those kids that had no choice. I refused to even watch a single one. I didn’t want to contribute to them in any way. And I’ve always felt for those kids. I have two kids. They are teenagers now (14f and 17m) and I don’t post them online." The Reddit user additionally shared a comment to reveal that none of her siblings have a relationship with their parents and the last time she spoke with her father, he expressed his regret that the family vlog ended.