Teen YouTube Star Piper Rockelle Responds to Pink’s Claim She’s Being Exploited

YouTube star Piper Rockelle is speaking out after singer Pink shared concerns that the teenager was being used by her parents, per TMZ. The matter originally started after Pink, whose real name is Alecia Moore, took to Twitter to write that some kids on social media are being “exploited” by their parents. In response, Rockelle defended her mother and set the record straight.

On Sunday, Pink wrote on Twitter that she was concerned by how children, specifically naming Rockelle, are “being exploited by their parents.” She seemed to cite one of Rockelle’s recent Instagram photos in which she poses in a bikini as the reason why she felt compelled to speak out. On the YouTuber’s Instagram page, which boasts almost 5 million followers, they note that the account is run by her family. Rockelle acknowledged Pink’s tweet and said that she wore the swimsuit simply because it’s summer. The 14-year-old also said that she doesn’t see anything sexual about a teenager wearing a two-piece bathing suit.

Rockelle went on to tell TMZ that her family is not “exploiting” her. Instead, she said that her mother, in particular, has been majorly supportive of her social media aspirations. She told the outlet, “The first thing I want everyone to know is that my mom doesn’t make me do anything. Quite the opposite, I’m a kid who had a dream and my mom is amazing enough to help me live it out.”

“I don’t think P!nk has ever seen one of my YouTube videos because if she did she’d see it’s just my friends and me having fun and acting like ourselves,” the teenager continued. “The content we make is the kind of stuff anyone can watch.” In light of this issue, Rockelle said that she did some research on Pink. She realized that the singer started to pursue her own entertainment industry goals around the same age that she is now. The YouTuber said that this has made her question why the entertainer has chosen to publicly criticize her. She added about the situation, “I know there are kids who are being taken advantage of and that’s a real problem, but I’m not one of them.”