By Emma Crystal, Cassie MacDonell, & Amanda Mazzei
Content warning: Mentions of child exploitation.
Case Description
Savannah and Cole LaBrant are two American family vloggers that post content about their day-to-day lives. Savannah first gained popularity from her Musical.ly videos that feature her eldest daughter Everleigh, who is now nine years old. Around the same time, Cole became popular on Vine. The two later met, married and had three more children, Posie, Zealand, and Sunday.
The LaBrant family posts most frequently on their YouTube channel, which boasts over thirteen million subscribers and makes them over five million dollars a year.1 Their children also have a variety of social media accounts. Everleigh’s YouTube channel has three million subscribers which makes her one of the richest children in the world with an annual income estimated around 600 thousand dollars.2
The LaBrant family posts many aspects of their children’s lives to social media. As a result of the sometimes private and intimate nature of what they share, they have come under fire from the public several times, usually being accused of exploiting their children for views.3
In a since deleted video, Cole and Savannah prank Everleigh that they are giving her puppy away.4 As a result, Everleigh cries and hides her face from the camera. Cole and Savannah continue to film Everleigh crying as they explain why they must give her puppy away.
Another controversial video posted by the LaBrant family was a cancer documentary, “She got diagnosed with cancer. (documentary),”5 the title displayed alongside a picture of their family. Although the video was about other children with cancer, viewers felt that Cole and Savannah were leveraging a past concern from a previous video about some concerning symptoms Posie was experiencing to get more views.6
In 2018, Cole and Savannah released a book titled, “Cole & Sav: Our Surprising Love Story.”7 In this book, the couple was candid about Savannah’s experience with teen pregnancy and her rocky relationship with Everleigh’s father, Tommy Smith, who has since passed away. Savannah shares that Smith cheated on her, ultimately leading to their breakup. Cole also shares the intricacies of navigating being a stepfather to Everleigh.
Critical Analysis of Ethical Issues Involved
At the root of the number of issues inherent in posting content of children to the internet is the fact that children cannot consent to it. As discussed in the reading, Covering Kids: are journalists guilty of exploiting children?,8 this issue can be addressed in two ways.
Firstly, consent can be obtained from the parents or guardians of the minor. Secondly, one can obtain assent, which includes describing to the child what media coverage will mean for them and receiving an “informal, verbal agreement.”9
While Savannah and Cole can give their parental consent to the sharing of their kids on social media, it is difficult to gauge if this is rooted in what is best for their children or in what will get them the most views and money. Despite the fact that children may enjoy and agree to their coverage, it is possible that they don’t truly understand what it means to them, their current lives, and their futures.10
It is reasonable to believe that how children currently feel about their social media presence could change when they are older and have a better cognitive ability to understand the situation.
Another ethical issue at play in this case is how the depiction of Everleigh’s biological father will affect her. As a result of extensive coverage of intimate and private familial matters, it is possible that this implicates the way in which the children view themselves.11 Since family vlogging is a fairly new concept, it is hard to know how it will psychologically and socially affect children included in the process in the long run.
Perhaps the depiction of her biological father in the media will affect how Everleigh remembers her own experiences with him. Perhaps Everleigh will come to dislike or even resent the negative perceptions of her late father.
The likelihood that Cole and Savannah love their children and genuinely intend to act in their best interests can coexist with the likelihood that the content they share will negatively affect their children and their development.
Their children can enjoy their media coverage while they are also being exploited (perhaps accidentally) for views through clickbait titles and pictures.
Lastly, it is possible that children’s viewpoints toward their coverage can change as they age and mature. Unfortunately, videos of the LaBrant children are widely disseminated and open for widespread public scrutiny. As seen with the deleted prank video, while these videos and photos can be deleted, they will never truly leave the internet or the public sphere.
Discussion Questions
- In response to viewers saying that Cole and Savannah are overworking Everleigh, they have said that Everleigh loves being on camera. Is the fact that Everleigh enjoys being on camera sufficient enough to act as her consent?
- Imagine you are Everleigh as an adult, how would you feel about videos of intimate, personal moments between you and your family being posted online?
- Do you, as an outsider to the LaBrant family’s lives, think that Cole and Savannah’s value of content could come at the expense of their children’s mental wellbeing?
- Is there a way for vloggers like the LaBrants to share such content in a way that protects their children? How could the LaBrants show their lives better?
Endnotes
1 Keogh, J. “Here’s how much the LaBrant family really makes from YouTube.” The List, 26 June 2020, www.thelist.com/221601/heres-how-much-the-LaBrant-family-really-makes-from-youtube/.
2 Smith, O. “What is the LaBrant’s family net worth? Everything you need to know.” Tuko, 18 June 2022, www.tuko.co.ke/facts-lifehacks/celebrity-biographies/458490-what-LaBrants-family-net-worth-everything-know/.
3 Pellot, Emerald. “LaBrant Fam: Family Vlogging Channel Has Faced Controversy.” In The Know, 1 Sept. 2021, www.intheknow.com/post/LaBrant-fam-family-vloggers-youtube-controversy/.
4 Inside Edition. “Cole and Sav Slammed for Pretending to Give Away Kid’s Dog.” YouTube, 3 Apr. 2019, youtu.be/IJNyfCbtLTM.
5 The LaBrant Fam. “She got diagnosed with cancer. (documentary).” YouTube, 28 Aug. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mV7r75sil8&t=31s.
6 Gabrielle Bernardini, “YouTube’s LaBrant Family Receives Backlash for ‘Cancer’ Documentary,” last modified, August 30, 2021, https://www.distractify.com/p/does-posie-labrant-have-cancer.
7 LaBrant, Cole, and Savannah LaBrant. Cole & Sav: Our Surprising Love Story. Thomas Nelson, 2018.
8 Smith Fullerton, Romayne. “Covering kids: are journalists guilty of exploiting children?” Journalism Studies, vol. 5, no. 4, 2004, pp. 511-524.
9 Smith Fullerton, Romayne, pp. 514.
10 Smith Fullerton, Romayne, pp. 511.
11 Smith Fullerton, Romayne, pp. 521.
12 Johnny Diaz, “Biden is the Oldest President to Take the Oath,” last modified Jan. 20, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/18/us/politics/joe-biden-age-oldest-presidents.html.