Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 11:35 16 Aug 2026 GMT
Piper Rockelle has said she did not think she would make it to 18.
The former YouTube child star, now 18, told the Creators Inc. podcast that child protective services were called on her 'at least 10 times' starting when she was 14 years old.
The calls came from fans and strangers online who had opinions about her life as a minor on the internet.
Turning 18 meant the visits would finally stop. She called it the best day of her life.
Rockelle told host Andy Bachman that the repeated visits became a grim routine.
"I wanted to be 18 so freaking bad," she said.
"I was just going through years since I was 14 years old of just horrible things happening."
She said each time a report was made, no matter who made it or why, officials still had to follow protocol and investigate.
"They would come and be like, 'Oh, it's Piper again,'" she recalled.
"Okay, well, see you next week."
When she finally turned 18 last August, the relief was physical.
"It was the best day when I turned 18. I was like, yes, I'm so happy. That whole part of my life was over with. It was horrifying."
The conversation went further than CPS.
When Bachman asked about the fallout from those years, Rockelle did not hold back.
"I definitely did not think I was going to make it," she said.
"I didn't think I was going to make it to 18 years old."
She credited three things with getting her through.
Streaming, which gave her an outlet. Someone close to her, whom she did not name. And the daily routine of looking after cats at her family's rescue.
"You could just put your phone away and just deal with the animals and forget about everything for just a second," she said. "It was just beautiful."
Rockelle rose to fame through a family-run YouTube channel and the Piper Squad, a group of young creators known for pranks, challenges, and dating skits.
The content generated millions of views. It also generated a $22 million lawsuit.
Former Squad members sued Rockelle's mother, alleging abuse and exploitation. The case became the subject of Netflix's 2025 docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing.
Rockelle has consistently defended her mom and says she witnessed no wrongdoing. She became emotional during an IMPACT x Nightline interview earlier this year while discussing her mother and the scrutiny her family has faced.
She has also spoken to the Guardian about struggling with eating during one of the hardest periods of her life, saying that parts of her success still feel 'like it's a game'.
Rockelle turned 18 in August 2025.
She launched an OnlyFans account shortly after, which drew its own wave of criticism. She responded publicly, telling Complex: "I've never had a good reputation."
She has joined the Bop House, an influencer collective, and continues to build her audience across multiple platforms.
She said on the podcast that she is trying to hold onto one lesson from everything she went through.
"Everything happens for a reason," she said.
Whether or not that is true, the fact that a teenager had CPS called on her 10 times by strangers on the internet and spent four years counting down the days until she legally aged out of the system tells you something about what being a child on the internet actually looks like from the inside.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988.
