Ruby Franke’s Abuse Raised Alarm About Children of Influencers. Now the Horrific Case Is Leading Utah to Change Laws

Following the high-profile child abuse case of Ruby Franke, Utah has passed a law aimed at protecting the children of online personalities.

The law, which was signed by Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday, March 25, gives adults the opportunity to erase from social media any content in which they appeared as minors, NBC News reported.  

Under the law, parents are also obligated to set money aside for children who appear online, according to NBC News.

The new law was supported by Franke’s husband Kevin, who filed for divorce after Ruby’s arrest.

The father of six testified in February at a House committee in support of the legislation.

“Children cannot give informed consent to be filmed on social media, period,” Franke said in a statement, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. “If we, as adults, cannot understand the emotional and psychological impacts of sharing our lives to millions of strangers online, how can we expect our children to understand them?”

Ruby and her family amassed about 2.5 million followers on social media while documenting their family’s life in the lakeside suburb of Springville, Utah, on the “8Passengers” page. Franke shared videos explaining how she’d take away a child’s bed as punishment or withhold meals as a teaching lesson. 

Her public downfall began in 2020, after numerous people signed an online petition asking child protective services to investigate the Franke family. 

Franke soon joined the“ConneXions” parenting advice podcast with Mormon therapist, Jodi Hildebrandt.

The two women were later charged with felony child abuse in August 2023 after a neighbor called 911 to report that Franke’s emaciated son knocked at his door asking for help. The boy, who escaped from Hildebrandt’s home, had visible wounds and marks from tape around his wrists and ankles. Officers found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter in a similar state inside Hildebrandt’s home.

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Franke and Hildebrandt received four separate prison sentences for 1 to 15 years, which will run consecutively.

“I’m not saying YouTube is a bad thing,” wrote Franke’s youngest daughter who was found along with her brother, in a statement read in February at the House committee hearing, per NBC News. “Sometimes it brings us together,” she wrote. “But kids deserve to be loved, not used by the ones that are supposed to love them the most.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.