Wren Eleanor controversy explained: TikTokers worried by “creepy” searches for viral toddler

Wren Eleanor is a popular TikTok personality with over 17 million followers. But her popularity has caused worries among fans who are begging her mom Jacquelyn to take down their account.

Family vloggers have long been a controversial topic on social media. As the genre of family content grows bigger, some people are speaking out against the creators, saying children should not be used on social media.

One TikTok account in particular that features a four-year-old girl named Wren Eleanor has been raising concerns among users on the platform. The social media account, which is managed by Wren’s mother Jacquelyn, consists of a bevy of videos of the toddler and has accumulated over 17 million followers and 624 million likes.

Even though sharing cute snippets of your child’s life on social media certainly isn’t prohibited, some viewers are concerned that Jacquelyn may be putting Wren’s life in danger with her content.

Why are viewers worried about Wren Eleanor?

On Wren’s profile, Jacquelyn typically shares videos of her daughter’s outfits, hair routine, or clips of her just being silly. However, some followers are concerned that Jacquelyn might be exploiting her daughter on the platform for likes and internet fame.

The proof, according to viewers, is the thousands of people who save each TikTok video on their phones. Some people, including TikToker Jessica, have also found weird search suggestions when looking for Wren’s TikTok profile. These include “Wren Eleanor hotdog” or “Wren Eleanor pickle,” which don’t seem appropriate, according to Jessica.

There’s been a movement driven by TikTok moms calling out potentially creepy people following the account; they have also accused Jacquelyn of exploiting her child on social media. The discussion has largely focused on Wren and Jacquelyn, but it’s expanded to include other TikTok mom creators who post videos of their very young children.

The discourse touches on the ethics of whether images of children should even be on social media, to begin with, and has prompted many parents to delete videos of their own children from their accounts.

A subreddit was also created in April 2022 where people continue to discuss whether or not these videos of Wren should be allowed to remain online.

Fans have also accused Jacquelyn of purposely putting Wren in revealing clothing to gain more views and interactions.

In one video created for the 4th of July, Wren was seen posing in ripped jeans and a crop top, which made hundreds of viewers comment saying she was too young to wear a top like that, and that it’d even be too short for some adults.

“Uhhhhhhhhh…… yeah no that is unacceptable,” one person commented, while another said: “My dude, where is her shirt?”

Jacquelyn has yet to address viewers’ concerns

While some users have expressed their concerns regarding Wren on TikTok, it appears Jacquelyn has deleted many of those comments. She also turned off comments on all of her videos at some point, but they are now on again. However, Jacquelyn hasn’t posted any new videos since March 2024.

Although TikTok prohibits content that exploits minors on its platform, it doesn’t look like Wren’s account has faced any repercussions.

Per the Community Guidelines, “Sexual exploitation of minors includes any abuse of a position of power or trust for sexual purposes, including profiting financially, socially, sexually, or politically from the exploitation of a minor.”

Jacquelyn has yet to make a public comment about the concerns.