A 21-year-old influencer has spoken out following backlash regarding her romantic relationship with a 16-year-old.
Tasha Newcombe, 21, has come under fire for her relationship with 16-year-old Marko Vituk.
Despite harsh criticism, Newcombe has staunchly defended their five-year age gap.
Newcombe, who boasts 263.3K followers on TikTok and 10 million likes for her party-centric videos, began dating Vituk three months ago.
The couple announced their relationship on social media, triggering a wave of backlash.
Responding to the criticism, Newcombe took to TikTok to clarify her position.
"The reason I'm making this video today is obviously to talk about my relationship," she stated.
"I am in a relationship with someone who's five years younger than me and I know a lot of people are gonna have their opinions on that and quite rightly so, you're allowed to have your opinions, that's your free will."
In a five-minute video that has gained nearly two million views, Newcombe addressed her detractors directly.
"I've seen a lot of comments and videos from bullies saying 'you know what you're doing is wrong' and 'this is why you said you wouldn't meet him'," she said.
Newcombe revealed she initially hesitated to meet Vituk in person due to concerns over potential backlash.
"The reason I was so unsure about meeting my boyfriend or pursuing anything with him is because of the backlash I was going to face and that is quite frankly, only down to opinion. Nothing else, opinion, that is it. Nothing to do with what's right or wrong, just opinion," she emphasized.
Despite their age difference, Newcombe insists their relationship is both legal and fulfilling.
"It's my life, I'm going to live my life how I want to live my life. If I decide I want to be in a relationship with him, I can because it is legal. Whether you think it's morally right or not, it is legal," she said
Vituk, still in school and unable to drink or drive legally, is also an emerging influencer.
Alongside his studies, he boxes and recently launched a YouTube podcast, Empowerred [sic], described as "A Podcast That Is Taking Over The Net."
The couple's announcement has sparked a deluge of comments, with many questioning the legality and morality of their relationship.
Addressing her critics, Newcombe said, "Quite frankly, I don't give a f*** about the 12-year-olds who are commenting towards me and my family and stuff like that, it's the grown women directing hate towards my family."
She also mentioned receiving "threatening" messages encouraging self-harm.
"What I can't wrap my head around is if you don't like something, a creator or relationship, there is a block button," she said, referring to her trolls as "keyboard warriors."
"Is it affecting your life? No. Me and my boyfriend are in a very beautiful, loving, happy and healthy relationship and the fact that people are sitting there, worried and throwing such serious accusations at me, is sick and twisted."
To manage the negative attention, Newcombe has started filtering and deleting comments for her "peace of mind."
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