YouTube Shuts Down Channel Of Parents On Probation For Child Neglect, A Year After Shutting Down Their First Channel

Update, July 20, 2018: Turns out Michael and Heather Martin did return to posting after their plea deal, under the new YouTube account FamilyOFive (reminder: they lost two of the kids in the plea deal). YouTuber Amanda the Jedi broke down how the Martins were back to the same "pranks" that got them shut down in the first place:

This week, after the new FamilyOFive channel had reached 750,000 subscribers, YouTube shut down the new channel (along with another gaming-focused channel) and banned the Martins from the platform. 

Update, September 12, 2017: BuzzFeed reports that Michael and Heather Martin of the DaddyOFive YouTube channel have been sentenced to five years of probation after being charged with child neglect.  

The YouTubers gained wide attention for "prank" videos that showed the parents yelling at their children, shoving them, and making them cry.

In a plea deal, the parents agreed to a sentence of five years probation, no contact with Cody and Emma (who were determined to have suffered mental injury and now reside with their biological mother), and no social media posts involving Cody or Emma. Their attorney says they may still post videos of them with the other children.

Previously: If you've been surfing the web — particularly YouTube or Reddit — lately, you may have seen headlines about the "DaddyOFive" YouTube controversy and felt a little out of the loop. Here's what you need to know. 

Who Is DaddyOFive?

DaddyOFive is a popular family YouTube channel with over 750,000 subscribers. It features Mike and Heather Martin and their five kids who often play "pranks" on one another. Many believe these pranks go too far and border on child abuse. 

How Did This All Start?

DaddyOFive posted a video of Heather dribbling invisible ink on the family's upstairs carpet and then blaming it on their son Cody. She lobs curse words and screams at the boy until he is red and teary. At the end of the video, Mike cackles, saying "it's just a prank, bruh!" to Cody and his brother who are still obviously emotional. 

Many popular YouTubers began to speak out against the incident and more videos came to light of Heather and Mike shoving, pushing and cursing at their children, with their nine-year-old son Cody often featured as a prominent target. 

Among these popular YouTubers was Philip DeFranco, who played a significant role in the matter reaching the attention of mainstream media. DeFranco elaborates below on the incident and subsequent internet fallout. Graphic clips are included. 

DaddyOFive released an initial response (since deleted) in which they berate their "haters". Mike and Heather question their children around the kitchen table, "was anyone traumatized?" "Are you guys okay?" before noting that Child Protective Services had paid them a visit.

The Keemstar Interview

Following the DeFranco video, Youtube personality Keemstar interviewed Mike and Heather, claiming he wasn't sure if the family's actions really fell in the category of child abuse and that he was seeking clarity.

"[Our videos] are edited to make it look like it's a lot worse than it is. We are also a family and we are also trying to make a YouTube channel. They're not fake, but some things are a little exaggerated," Mike explains. 

Watch the full interview below.

After the interview, Keemstar initially defended the family. However, after a video surfaced of the family playing a game of "bottle flip slap" in which son Alex slaps daughter Emma violently across the face, Keemstar retracted his support.

The only video that remains on the DaddyOFive channel is this final response video entitled "Family Destroyed Over False Aquisations" (which is unembeddable, so you'll have to give it a click). 

"I'd rather lose my YouTube channel than lose my children," Mike says in the video. "We're gonna make things right… These kids are safe. This is all an act."

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