When creating a family channel backfires

What was once popular for showcasing a wholesome and authentic blend of domestic reality, family channels no longer excite people for valid reasons.

From the mid to late 2010s, family channels saw a surge in popularity. We saw family channels like the ACE Family, 8 Passengers, The Prince Family and The LaBrant Fam garner millions of viewers and subscribers as they posted content of their daily lives with their children, along with challenges.

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The 2020s marked the beginning of the end for family channels amid many controversies. Children who are not old enough to give consent and understand how the internet works were being exploited, used for content, and subjected to traumatizing pranks by their parents, the very same people who are supposed to protect them.

While family channels experienced a major decline in the 2020s, it was around 2017, going into 2018, when people began exposing family channels on social media for their questionable content.

Deston Troyce, better known as TROYCETV, was one of the first YouTubers to expose family channels for not only exploiting their children, but also for scamming their young, impressionable viewers. At the time, he was dragged by fans of these channels who claimed he was jealous, and they even went as far as to make fun of his physical appearance. Now, those same people have since realized he was right all along.

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On September 20^th, 2026, Troyce was back at it again when he posted a video exposing the downfall of the ACE Family, one of YouTube’s biggest family channels, along with the downfall of countless other family channels.

As we all know, Austin McBroom and Catherine Paiz announced the end of their decade-long relationship back in January 2024. They started their YouTube channel in 2016 after the birth of their oldest child and skyrocketed into popularity. Throughout the years, we have seen YouTubers like Troyce expose the former couple for scamming their fans on multiple occasions, infidelity, making colourist comments in the past on McBroom’s part, and exploiting their children from infancy to fund their lavish lifestyle.

In the same video, he also exposed CJ So Cool for doing a laxative prank on former partner Royalty Johnson’s children. In a clip, the children were seen crying and complaining about their stomachs being upset as CJ So Cool recorded and laughed after serving them ice cream laced with laxatives. In response to the video, he received a temporary channel suspension along with backlash from viewers.

It is one thing for someone to prank someone their own age, but it is another for an adult to do so to a child, especially a prank of that extreme.

In August 2022, CJ So Cool and Johnson split after almost 10 years together. The breakup was followed by a contentious co-parenting dynamic and legal disputes that played out on social media.

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People are being encouraged not to do content with their partner to save them from external pressure, public judgment and having what is supposed to be a special bond turn into something performative. Throughout the years, we have seen a lot of social media couples experience a public fallout. It is even more heartbreaking when there are children caught in the mix. While they may not understand what is going on in real time because of how young they are, they will understand it when they are older, and it will not bring a smile to their face.

We also must remember online predators exist, and with AI on the rise, not only do we have to worry about these predators consuming and keeping track of child-based content, but they could also create explicit deepfakes of minors.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a content creator. However, not everything makes for enjoyable content, and our children must be kept safe.