A mother of six who gained fame as a YouTube parenting adviser has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for aggravated child abuse. Ruby Franke, 42, and her collaborator Jodi Hildebrandt, 54, received four concurrent prison terms of between one and 15 years each in a Utah court on Tuesday.
Franke was arrested last August after her malnourished 12-year-old son climbed out of a window at Hildebrandt's home in Ivins, Utah, seeking food and water from a neighbour. The boy had open wounds and was bound with duct tape. A daughter was later found in a similar condition. Franke's now-deleted YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, had 2.3 million subscribers.
Both women pleaded guilty to second-degree aggravated child abuse in December. In court, Franke apologised, saying she had 'believed dark was light and right was wrong' and had lived in a 'dark delusion' for four years. Hildebrandt expressed hope the children would 'heal physically and emotionally'.
The case has reignited debate over 'sharenting', where parents profit from broadcasting their children's lives online. Illinois recently passed a law protecting children in such situations, mirroring California's Coogan Act for child performers.
