Hunger as punishment

Momfluencer convicted of child abuse

Ruby Franke was convicted of abusing her children.(Bild: AP)

A former influencer from the USA, who became famous for her - extremely brutal - parenting tips on social media, was found guilty on Tuesday of severely abusing her children. Her severely malnourished twelve-year-old son had fled to the neighbors last year and begged for help - a sister was eventually also found malnourished. Ruby Franke is facing a long prison sentence.

The Mormon mother has six children and became known as a "momfluencer" through her Instagram account moms-of-truth. She later hosted the YouTube show "8 Passengers", which was also about parenting. The channel had 2.3 million subscribers but has since been discontinued.

This post shows a picture of the family of eight:

The social media personality was considered controversial. Among other things, she advised children to withhold food in order to punish them for alleged misdemeanors. For example, she once starved a daughter for a week after she forgot her lunch at home. One of her sons had to sleep on a beanbag for months as punishment. 

No food and water for boys for days
Twelve-year-old Russell managed to escape his ordeal in the summer of 2023 - he ran from the house of his mother's business partner, Jodie Hildebrandt, to neighbors. They recognized signs of abuse on the boy and alerted the authorities. He reported severe abuse: He is said to have been physically tortured and forced to work outside in the summer heat without shoes and to stand in the blazing sun for several days. He was also deprived of water and food for days on end.

The boy was taken to hospital and the police eventually discovered another malnourished child in Hildebrandt's house - her ten-year-old daughter. Franke and her business partner were arrested. The momfluencer's husband and father of the children was not arrested - he filed for divorce.

Mother wants to change "toxic behavior"
In court, the mother of six confessed and was remorseful. She tearfully explained that she was prepared to serve a "long prison sentence" and promised to change her "toxic behavior". She had followed advice and instructions "that led me into a dark delusion". She further explained: "My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I isolated myself from anyone who challenged me."

A court in the US state of Utah imposed four consecutive prison sentences of one to 15 years on Franke on Tuesday (local time), as reported by ABC and other media.