The father of a teenage influencer, who has racked up almost 4 million followers by sharing provocative lingerie snaps online, has begged brands to stop working with her – claiming that she is only 13-years-old.
Danielle Cohn, who claims to be 15, is a social media star with 3.8 million Instagram followers and more than 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube.
She first found fame in 2015 on social media app TikTok, a platform for short video content beloved Generation Z, formerly known as musical.ly.
By 2017 her fame had grown to such heights that her mother Jen moved the family from Florida to California, and quit her job as a teaching assistant in order to manage Danielle full-time.
Since then Danielle, who has an estimated worth of almost $2.5 million (£2 million), has grown a portfolio of sponsorship deals with brands including retailer Fashion Nova, and often posts sponsored content wearing skimpy clothes.
Her father Dustin Cohn, who is separated from her mother and lives in another state, has now attacked the social media platforms and brands she works with, asking for them to be held accountable in a lengthy Facebook post.
Danielle Cohn (pictured) who claims to be 15, is a social media star with 3.8 million Instagram followers and more than 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube. Her father has begged brands to stop working with saying that she is only 13-years-old
She first found fame on beloved Gen Z app TikTok, then known as musical.ly, in 2015 when she may have been as young as nine. Since, her fame has grown and she’s worked with huge brands such as Fashion Nova, where she often posts sponsored content wearing skimpy clothes to her Instagram page.
Taking to Facebook, Dustin wrote: ‘For years I have done the diplomatic thing while dealing with my daughter being online in a way I didn’t approve of and trying to have it handled out of social media because I figured the system would work and keep my daughter safe.’
Concerned about his daughter’s actions online he continued: ‘Danielle is 13. I have never liked Danielle being on social media especially when she started at such an early age.
‘But pageants, and modeling, and then musical.ly were all pushed on her.
‘It was always a huge problem to me. I asked for it to stop immediately, which it didn’t’
‘We found Pinterest boards with her photos and I told her mom I worried about paedophiles. We tried to take measures to stop it but it didn’t stop.’
Talking about his daughter (pictured), Dustin wrote: ‘For years I have done the diplomatic thing while dealing with my daughter being online in a way I didn’t approve of and trying to have it handled out of social media because I figured the system would work and keep my daughter safe.’
Danielle has an estimated net worth of around £1.75m from sponsorship deals, her YouTube channel and pop singles. The teen’s success has kept growing in the last four years with Dustin expressing he first became concerned when he saw her images being posted by other people.
Dustin (pictured) said: ”We found Pinterest boards with her photos and I told her mom I worried about pedaphiles. We tried to take measures to stop it but it didn’t stop’
He continued: ‘The pictures now have gotten worse and worse. (sic) I am finally saying something on social media because people need to be held accountable.
Dustin added that he has approached social media firms directly to ask to remove particularly revealing photos but ‘no one cares because I am the father’.
Naming Instagram, YouTube, Fashion Nova, BuzzFeed, Universal, Target, Bang Energy Drinks and the State of California directly, the father blasted brands for ‘child exploitation’.
‘I have never once given my approval for Danielle to do any ads or promotions or shows and if you have something saying I did, it was fake’, he added.
‘Please don’t call me asking if I authorised her to work, I haven’t and will not period.
‘She is a child and should not have been “working” from such a young age.
‘The pictures now have gotten worse and worse. I am finally saying something on social media because people need to be held accountable’ Dustin said of his daughter’s revealing photos (pictured)
‘But many people around her and these companies cared more about the money. If you have something with my signature, you were scammed.’
Addressing her age, he claimed: ‘They have no issues using my daughter for clicks, a minor, someone who just turned 13.
‘I have contacted Instagram and YouTube and they both ignored me while they made money off exploiting my daughter.
‘My mother contacted Target when her age was listed as 13, they changed it for a day, which you all saw then changed it back, when “someone else” called them.
‘I contacted the child labor board in California who told us her birth date was wrong and then hurried off the phone.
The worried parent also expressed concern that his daughter was getting involved with older boys – including her ex Mikey Tua, 17, who thought Danielle was 15 (pictured together celebrating their one year anniversary)
Danielle often posted pictures with her ex-boyfriend, who is 17, and was told she is 15
‘All of these platforms and organizations saw the money, or didn’t care enough, and its continued for years now. I have never once given my approval for Danielle to do any ads or promotions or shows and if you have something saying I did, it was fake.’
Dustin claims that his ex, Danielle’s mother controls her social media channels and that he allowed her to move to California from Florida, on the grounds she visits once a month.
The parent also expressed concern that his daughter was getting involved with older boys – including her ‘ex Mikey Tua, 17, who thought Danielle was 15’.
Dustin added he has approached social media firms directly to ask to remove particularly revealing photos but ‘no one cares because I am the father’. Naming Instagram,YouTube, Fashion Nova, BuzzFeed, Universal, Target, Bang Energy Drinks and the State of California directly the father blasted brands for ‘child exploitation’.
He concluded: ‘I am a private person and never wanted to have to come out and make this kind of statement, but I have been forced to as I am tired of being bothered and disgusted for years.
‘I never get to see my daughter Danielle, because I won’t go along with the lies and am alienated for it.
‘I do want Danielle to be happy, but not at this cost. No 13-year-old should be dancing in lingerie.
‘I hope one day she sees that I’ve only ever tried to protect her. I hope others around her wake up and realise it shouldn’t be about the money but living life as a kid that she is.’
Concluding the lengthy post, Dustin added: ‘I hope one day she sees that I’ve only ever tried to protect her. I hope others around her wake up and realise it shouldn’t be about the money but living life as a kid that she is.’
Responding to her father’s comments, Danielle said: ‘I have the best life and make my own decisions so tired of this.
‘Listen to someone that has nothing to do with me and also took my mom to court before I was famous because he didn’t want to pay child support.’.
In another message to a follower, Danielle added: ‘You guys have no idea what you are talking about.
‘He was so embarrassed that he didn’t even tell his wife about me until I showed up one day asking for stuff. Never supported anything I did, was never at my cheer or pageants… why did it take him three years to come and say something… and did I mention he got his job by mentioning my name?’.
Last month, Danielle’s mother also defended her daughter’s decisions.
‘You might not agree with what my daughter post or what she does but at this age she setting up her life she become a millionaire at her age.
Responding to her father’s comments, Danielle said: ‘I have the best life and make my own decisions so tired of this. Listen to someone that has nothing to do with me and also took my mom to court before I was famous because he didn’t want to pay child support…’. She posted this on March 8 this year, saying she was celebrating her birthday
‘She does it all on her own. We argue and go back and forth as any teenager does with their parents. At the end of the day I will give up my life for them.’
While Danielle claims to be 15, an alleged birth certificate circulated online shows her date of birth as March 7, 2006, which would make her 13.
Other YouTubers have tried to ‘exposed’ the star’s real age, claiming they’ve spoken to people she was at school with and she was in fourth grade (aged 10) from 2015-2016, which would make her 13.
The teen hasn’t shied away from controversy and was forced to issue an apology earlier this year when she faked her own Las Vegas wedding and pregnancy with ex-boyfriend Mikey Tua in a backfired prank.
As part of their elaborate four-part prank series, the internet stars also staged a pregnancy announcement and baby gender reveal in front of their unsuspecting friends and family.
The teen hasn’t shied away from controversy and was forced to issue an apology earlier this year when she faked her own Las Vegas wedding and pregnancy with ex-boyfriend Mikey Tua in a backfired prank
As part of their elaborate four-part prank series, the internet stars also staged a pregnancy announcement and baby gender reveal in front of their unsuspecting friends and family
The couple pose with a ‘Just Married’ sign after staging a wedding at a chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada
The pair joined forces to boost viewing figures and entertain viewers but the prank series has since backfired
During one video, the couple are seen standing at the chapel altar as their Elvis impersonator priest tells them: ‘I now pronounce you best friend for life and best friend for life. You may kiss your friend and you may kiss your friend.’
In another YouTube video, the pair hold up a balloon in front of their family and friends before popping the rubber object and revealing they are expecting a baby girl.
Also among the videos in their prank series is one showing the couple attending a fake ultrasound screening.
At the end of the series the pair released a statement apologising for any offence caused.
Danielle said: ‘We didn’t mean to offend anyone if you got offended or if you took it in the wrong way. That is definitely not what we were trying to do we were just trying to make a fun video.
‘We’ve always seen pranks on YouTube and we just thought it would be fun to prank you guys. We definitely didn’t think it was going to go as far as it did. We just thought YouTube followers would see it but then we were just like we want to post it on Instagram.