• A German couple that runs the Instagram account “Another Beautiful Day,” created a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for a trip to Africa.
• In a now-deleted Facebook post promoting the campaign, one of the influencers admitted that they do not work and said his mother has funded their trips in the past, despite not having much herself.
• Social media users have slammed them in their comment sections, telling them to get jobs and criticizing them for using their mother to pay for their lifestyle.

GoFundMe

A German influencer couple is getting dragged on social media after revealing that one of their mothers works two jobs to pay for their lifestyle.

Catalin Onc and Elena Engelhardt run the account “Another Beautiful Day,” which documents their travels to places like Bali, Indonesia, Nepal, France, and more. The pair, who have more than 47,000 followers, have recently set their sights on a trip to Africa.

They even created a GoFundMe page that seeks to raise 10,000 euros, which is a little over $11,000, for the journey. They say that the money will be used to cover things like bikes, SIM cards, places to say, and more.

As far as why they want to go, they wrote: “We could write a long text about mental health or global warming. We could tell you about following your dreams, or how important stepping out of your comfort zone is. We could tell you how beautiful traveling is, and it’s benefits, or the fact that most news don’t match reality.”

“But we’re going to show you!” they added.

“We want to take you all on this huge adventure. A celebration of life, as we ride freely across mountains, by the sea and through metropolitans. We will show the beauty of this planet and it’s inhabitants, but also the ugliness. But we can not do this on our own.”

View this post on Instagram

We could write a long text about mental health or global warming. We could tell you about following your dreams, or how important stepping out of your comfort zone is. We could tell you how beautiful traveling is, and it’s benefits, or the fact that most news don’t match reality. But we’re going to show you! Less talking more action. Starting on the 20th of July in the middle of Germany, on a tandem, me and Eli will cycle towards Africa, and hopefully beyond. We want to take you all on this huge adventure. A celebration of life, as we ride freely across mountains, by the sea and through metropolitans. We will show the beauty of this planet and it’s inhabitants, but also the ugliness. But we can not do this on our own. We need you! The funds we raise will go towards the bike and gear, food and accommodation (when needed), internet and SIM cards in every country to keep you up to date, insurance, emergencies. We need funds now for preparation as well as throughout our trip. Every dollar, every message, every couch or garden for our tent, any help you can offer will help us go further. We hope you all enjoy and learn with us. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE another beautiful day with love Cat and Eli Link in bio Or paypal Abd_cat@hotmail.com

A post shared by CAT AND ELENA (@another_beautiful_day_official) on Jun 9, 2019 at 3:54am PDT

Mother Funds Trips

The couple then shared their GoFundMe campaign on Facebook, where Onc admitted that they didn’t work or fund their own trips. Instead, Onc said his mom works two jobs to pay for them.

“Some will tell us to get jobs, like everyone else and stop begging. But when you have the impact we do on others life, getting a job is not an option,” he wrote in a now-deleted post seen by BuzzFeed News.

“We could model and make fast money, but we don’t want to advertise consumerism. A normal job at this point would be detrimental,” he continued. Onc also reportedly notes in the post that his mother funds their trips despite the fact that she “has not much herself.”

Reactions

Fans were outraged after learning this news and have been speaking out all over the comments of the couple’s Instagram posts.

Couple Responds to Backlash

The reactions prompted the couple to issue a response. In a follow-up post, which features photos of Engelhardt drinking wine in bed and doing yoga by a pool, they wrote: “Having tattoos, a pretty girlfriend and followers on Instagram opens doors for us, it’s true.”

“We could live a lavish lifestyle and only show that, like most people on social media do. We choose not to. We have seen how people are around us when we have money and when we don’t,” the post continued.

“Some people are quick to judge and speak. At this very moment we don’t have much, we are accepting money from my mother and also donations but we don’t hide that.”

View this post on Instagram

This is how I feel when people make money the biggest topic. Having tattoos, a pretty girlfriend and followers on Instagram opens doors for us, it’s true. We could live a lavish lifestyle and only show that, like most people on social media do. We choose not to. We have seen how people are around us when we have money and when we don’t. #grateful that we get to see both sides of the spectrum. I wish you all could experience this. Some people are quick to judge and speak. At this very moment we don’t have much, we are accepting money from my mother and also donations but we don’t hide that. This situation is teaching us a lot. #tryingtodosomethingbigger

A post shared by CAT AND ELENA (@another_beautiful_day_official) on Jun 11, 2019 at 4:24am PDT

Onc later announced he would be taking a break from social media for a short while. “I am going on a walk. I will walk as long as I possibly can. No sleep, No social media, No distractions. Just me and my brain out there,” the caption of his announcement post reads.

“Try walking to a job interview,” one of the top replies says.

A few days later he returned with a post where he simply wrote, “SOMETIMES IT’S BETTER TO SAY NOTHING,” on a sheet of paper.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CAT AND ELENA (@another_beautiful_day_official) on Jun 22, 2019 at 1:45pm PDT

See what others are saying: (Paper Magazine) (News.com.au) (Elle Australia)

• Instagrammer Belle Delphine posted a photo saying she would create a Pornhub account if the post reached one million likes.
• The post hit the goal and as promised she created an account.
• However, internet users were surprised to find trolling videos instead of the porn they expected.
• Some found her prank to be funny, while others were upset they did not get the content they felt they were promised.

Delphine’s Instagram Promise

Belle Delphine’s 3.5 million Instagram followers know her for her racy cosplay. But now, her most recent claim to fame is being a troll.

On Sunday, Delphine posted a photo of herself in an even more scantily clad ensemble than usual. She paired it with a high-stakes caption.

“If this photo gets 1 MILLION likes I’ll actually make a pornhub account,” she wrote in her post, which coincided with Father’s Day. “The time has officially come. Tag Ur friends/dad to help out!”

View this post on Instagram

If this photo gets 1 MILLION likes I'll actually make a pornhub account. The time has officially come. Tag Ur friends/dad to help out!

A post shared by Belle 19 (@belle.delphine) on Jun 16, 2019 at 1:36pm PDT

Naturally, thirsty internet users flocked to Instagram to eagerly double-tap the picture. The post reached well over the required likes and currently sits at over 1.8 million.

Pornhub even commented on the post saying, “This is the best news I’ve heard all year.”

The next day, Delphine congratulated her followers for rising to the challenge and assured them that content was on the way. On Thursday, she announced that she had followed through with her promise.

View this post on Instagram

well… i made it! SCROLL RIGHT TO SEE! The account name is BelleDelphine There are 12 videos to watch! – ……so…..what do you think?? 🙂

A post shared by Belle 19 (@belle.delphine) on Jun 20, 2019 at 12:45pm PDT

Delphine Creates Troll Pornhub Account

However, once fans arrived at Delphine’s Pornhub page, they quickly realized that they had been pranked. While each video has a provocative title, none of them were the porn videos people expected to see.

One video called “PEWDIEPIE goes all the way INSIDE Belle Delphine” depicts Delphine biting and chewing a picture of the famous YouTuber. She appears to spit most of it back out and it is unclear if she actually eats any of the photo.

Another video called “BELLE DELPHINE GETS SCISSORED” shows the Instagrammer cutting a piece of paper while making sexually suggestive noises.

Internet Users React

Many users were upset with the content Delphine uploaded. Each of the twelve videos is disliked somewhere between 66 to 77 percent.

“I’m disappointed, blue balled and deceived,” one user commented on her Instagram.

“Can we get massive unfollow boys,” another said. “She doesn’t deserve it plus you can just view her content without following.”

On the other hand, others found humor in her prank.

“Seeing people beeing [sic] mad because a girl decides to not doing porn is hilarious,” one user wrote. “Good joke, Delphine. I had a good laugh.”

Another compared her to the seminal modern American artist Andy Warhol.

Both Delphine and Pornhub seemed to find the fun in her prank. The two tweeted at each other in reference to the video where she “eats” PewDiePie.

See what other people are saying: (Dexerto) (Metro) (Mashable)

• The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly in late stages of a probe into YouTube for allegedly violating children’s privacy and improperly collecting their data, following multiple complaints from privacy advocates.
• The Washington Post, who first reported the news, says the investigation could result in fines and has already pushed YouTube to speed up discussions about how it handles child content and users.
• The news follows reports that suggest YouTube is considering moving all children’s content over to the YouTube Kids app, which critics and YouTube insiders have since suggested is unlikely.

FTC Investigation

YouTube’s ongoing issues with child content has sparked an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, according to a report by the Washington Post.

On Wednesday the Post reported that the FTC was in the advanced stages of an investigation into YouTube for allegedly violating children’s privacy. The news outlet cites four anonymous sources familiar with the investigation and says that the probe could potentially result in a fine.

The investigation was reportedly launched after several complaints from privacy advocates and consumer groups. Those complaints said that the Google-owned company failed to protect kids who use the service and improperly collected their data, which is a violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The 1996 law known as COPPA bars companies from tracking and targetting users under 13.

The probe also follows numerous reports from users and publications that say YouTube’s recommendation feature has allowed predators to abuse the system to prey on children.

The Post says the FTC investigation has pushed YouTube to accelerate internal discussions and changes in regards to how the platform handles child content.

The platform has already recently disabled comments on videos featuring minors and banned minors from live-streaming video without an adult present in the video. It has also limited its algorithms from recommending content that features minors in a sexualized or violent situation, even if that content does not violate the company’s policies.

Moving Content to YouTube Kids

Earlier this week, reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal suggested that the company is looking at taking stronger measures to address its issues.

On Wednesday the Journal reported that YouTube was considering moving all children’s content over to its standalone YouTube Kids app. However, such a change would be hard to implement because of the overwhelming amount of content uploaded to YouTube and because it would potentially cost the company a huge loss in advertising revenue.

On top of that, Bloomberg’s report cited internal sources at YouTube who said that kids “tend to shift over to YouTube’s main site before they hit 13.” Bloomberg also pointed out that the Kids app only gets a small fraction of the audience the main platform brings in, which is sure to affect the content creators who would be forced to shift over.

Content featuring children is a huge part of YouTube that isn’t just toy unboxings, nursery rhyme videos, and skits. Family vloggers on the platform are becoming more and more massive and as the Verge pointed out, some creators often release collaborations with children. Jake Paul for instance often releases videos featuring five-year-old Tydus Talbott, who is also known online as “Mini Jake Paul.”

The Kids app has also faced a ton of backlash in the past for moderation issues in a controversy often known as “Eslagate.” At the time, YouTube was criticized for allowing content on the Kids app that included sexual situations or language, discussions of suicide, and dangerous behaviors in cartoons and skits created for children.

A person close to YouTube suggested moving all content featuring children to the Kids app is unlikely, but said other changes were being discussed.

“We consider lots of ideas for improving YouTube, and some remain just that — ideas. Others, we develop and launch, like our restrictions to minors live streaming or updated hate speech policy,” Andrea Faville, a YouTube spokeswoman, said in a statement to various outlets.

Policymakers Call for More Action

However, many are still unsatisfied with how the platform is dealing with these issues. Some policymakers have already begun responding to news of the investigation. In a press release issued Wednesday, Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) said the investigation “into YouTube’s treatment of children online overdue.”

“It is no secret that kids flock to YouTube every day, but the company has yet to take the necessary steps to protect its youngest users. I am pleased to see reports that the FTC is working to hold YouTube accountable for its actions.”

One of the biggest requests that YouTube has received from critics and policymakers is to stop recommending videos that contain children altogether. However, YouTube has hit back against that idea.

Earlier this month a spokesperson told the New York Times that a move like that would hurt creators. Instead, the company chose to limit “recommendations on videos that it deems as putting children at risk,” the Times reported.

It’s unclear as of now what types of penalties YouTube could face if the FTC finds issues with its current data collection practices. However, the FTC has placed a bigger focus on child privacy in recent years. This past February, the agency fined the app TikTok, formerly known as Music.ly, a record $5.7 million for violating child privacy laws. In that case, the FTC found that the app had allowed children under 13 to use the site with little enforcement of its age minimum requirement.

See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (The Wall Street Journal) (Bloomberg)