In stomach-turning sex-predator news this week, we turn to Austin Jones, the YouTuber whose a capella renditions of emo and pop-punk songs rocketed him to marginal internet fame amongst teenage girls over the past decade. On Friday, January 26, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography for coercing six of his underage fans into sending him sexually explicit videos.
The pop artist, whose YouTube channel has well over 500,000 followers and whose videos have racked up millions of views, was arrested by authorities at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in June of 2017, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. A federal indictment later charged him with two counts of child pornography.
His plea agreement states that he attempted to convince 30 underage victims to send him nude videos and photos by offering “modeling” opportunities and the title of his “biggest fan” to girls as young as 14. He even encouraged them to “talk about their age” while recording provocative videos that included twerking and shots of their genitals.
Jones now faces a minimum of five years in federal prison, and will be formally sentenced on May 3, but the judge has allowed him to stay free on bail until then so he can pursue “treatment to better understand the root of inappropriate, negative behaviors he had engaged in as well as to process underlying traumas that he had yet to address in any healthy, complete way,” according to documents provided by his attorneys. Those traumas include the early death of his brother and, apparently sexual abuse at the hands of a close relative.
This is all nauseating, but it’s an important reminder that predators can look innocuous, have out-of-date bowl haircuts reminiscent of a 2010 Justin Bieber, and use even the smallest amount of pop stardom to coerce young, vulnerable fans into actions that can impact the rest of their lives.
Look, folks, nobody really wants to talk to their kids about sex, much less power dynamics, child pornography, or the legalities of sending nudes to strangers. And though this case is 100 percent unrelated to the adult industry, the internet free for all that currently exists is something that is relevant to everyone. The internet makes everything more accessible—even pervy YouTubers with unresolved childhood trauma and nefarious goals.
Austin Jones screencap image via YouTube
