Abuse tends to be about what happens behind closed doors – a husband beating his wife, a mother incessantly screaming at her children. However, in today’s digital age, everything is being uploaded to the internet – including abuse. Abuse has transformed from a hushed topic to a viral sensation with millions of people watching. Many YouTubers seem to show off their abuse online, gaining fame and notoriety from their monstrous actions. Below are just two examples of abusers who have found fame through YouTube.

DaddyOFive

This YouTube channel was run by a father, Mike Martin, and mother, Heather Martin, who played pranks on their five children – Jake, Ryan, Alex, Emma, and Cody. Emma and Cody were almost always at the receiving end of these pranks; however, these “pranks” were actually methods of abuse done to hurt and humiliate the children, all under the guise of it being a joke. Oftentimes, Mike would encourage the eldest boys, Jake and Alex, to abuse Cody and Emma - one video shows Jake throwing Cody into a doorway and another one shows Alex slapping Emma. Mike himself would physically assault the children – he has been shown shoving Cody against a bookcase and onto the floor.

Other videos show the heartbreaking emotional abuse done to Cody. In one video, the parents splashed invisible ink on the carpet, and then screamed at Cody and blamed him for the accident that they had set up. Cody was accused of lying and was punished for an accident he didn’t commit. In another video, Mike and Heather threatened to disown Cody and kick him out of the house for being a bad son. In almost all of the videos on their channel, Cody is shown screaming and crying hysterically, while the parents and the other children laugh at him and tell him, “it’s just a prank.” 

The DaddyOFive account got over 750,000 subscribers and earned almost 7 million total views before it got shut down after a huge backlash. In 2017, the parents were accused of emotionally and physically abusing their children, received 5 years of probation, and lost custody of Mike’s children, Cody and Emma. Although their conviction prevents them from making more videos of their children, they still upload content to their website and Twitch account. Despite all of this, their probation has recently been reduced.

Onision

Onision, also known as Gregory “Greg” Daniel Jackson, started his YouTube channel in 2006. It started off as a comedy channel featuring funny skits and songs; however, he soon created another channel, called OnisionSpeaks, where he talked about issues that interested him. He later started two more accounts, OnisionEncore and UhOhBro, where he posts vlogs and his reactions on current events. These accounts ignited controversy because of Greg’s hurtful and hateful opinions on everything from rape victims and mental illness, to black people’s hair and religion.

Over the years, Greg has been involved with countless controversies and abuse allegations, earning him the title as “the most controversial YouTuber.” Greg had been involved in two marriages, one with Shiloh Hoganson, and the other with Taylor Anderson (now named Kai Avaroe). He has been accused of abusive behavior in most of his marriages and relationships, as many of Greg’s exes have publicly described the many different ways he had abused, controlled, and manipulated them.

Greg has also been accused of preying upon young girls. He started his relationship with Kai Avaroe when Kai was a minor, and only went public with their relationship once Kai turned 18. Together, he and Kai had allegedly targeted one of their fans, a 13-year-old named Sarah, convinced her to move in with them at age 16, and groomed her to become sexual with the both of them once she turned 18.

Greg and Kai also targeted another young girl, named Billie Dawn Ingle, who felt pressured to be in a relationship with the both of them. When Billie smoked marijuana against Greg’s wishes, he threatened her with various punishments, including shaving her hair, getting “I’m a liar” tattooed on her buttocks, and being chained to the basement wall for a week.  Despite the countless controversies and allegations, Onision currently has over 2 million followers.

Why is This Happening?

From Jeffree Star making racist comments to Sam Pepper’s cruel kidnapping and murder “prank,” abuse is always in the spotlight on YouTube. With millions of eyes on these videos, how do these people get away with abuse for so long? How do these people receive a fanbase and praise instead of backlash and legal action? Even when viewers speak up, why do so many of these abusers receive minimal punishment?

Onision, DaddyOFive, and many other abusers thrive on YouTube, receiving thousands and millions of likes and comments, followers, and money due to their success. Many of these YouTubers never receive punishment for their actions. Many of them rack up more likes and comments, stay popular despite their reputation, and have a steady following of thousands, even millions, of fans.

A huge reason why this happens is because of us – the viewers. Do we not care about the people we are watching? Do we thrive off abuse just as much as the abusers do? Are we so hungry for drama that we accept what is going on? By saying nothing and giving these people our clicks, we are also a part of the abuse. We are saying we condone it and want more of it.

What Should We Do?

YouTubers have a lot of influence. If abuse goes viral, millions of people are able to see it. When abuse is in the limelight without being punished, it gives the message that this behavior is acceptable. Additionally, much of YouTube’s audience is young children – exposing this type of content is detrimental, as children are easily influenced by the outside world. If a child or teen sees their idol treating others in an abusive manner, they are likely to copy this behavior. 

As viewers, we have a lot of power in what content gets uploaded. Abusers will keep posting abuse as long as we keep feeding into it, so unsubscribing and not watching these videos is the best way to rebel. They cannot continue thriving off abuse if viewers no longer like it. If more viewers turn away from these videos, YouTubers will be more likely to stop making this content. Even if you are a long-time fan of a certain YouTuber, it is important that we hold these people accountable for their actions. We cannot keep allowing this behavior to thrive online.