Controversy surrounding TikTok influencer Hannah Hiatt shows potential consequences of 'sharenting' online
Hannah Hiatt -- known as "Nurse Hannah" to her nearly 500,000 TikTok followers -- is a Mormon mom influencer from Utah. She is the mother of a 2-year-old son and a newborn baby, who are the stars of the candid videos she shares on social media.
But one video in particular went viral on TikTok -- in it, Hiatt showcased how many dirty diapers she had lying around her house, highlighting the overwhelming challenges many mothers face daily, striking a chord with parents across social media.
"She had 17 dirty diapers just laying around her house, not in the trash bin, just on the floor, on the counter, on the table," Jo Piazza, an author and podcaster who has been covering the Hiatt case, said. "And people went bananas over this video."
Some parents across the web are relating to Hiatt's viral fame and embracing her new hashtag, "17 Diapers," sharing their own struggles with motherhood.
Last week, she appeared on "Tamron Hall," explaining the origins of that viral video. "I just got overwhelmed, a million things going on," Hiatt told Hall. "Adjusting to having 2 kids, it's hard. I have got a 2-year-old and a 1-month-old baby."
But her rise to internet fame took a turn when some people online began speculating that one of her videos was evidence of child abuse. The video -- which has since been deleted -- showed her toddler putting his hands in front of his face when Hannah's husband, Braxton, handed him an item at the grocery store.
Hiatt posted about the incident on her TikTok, defending her family.
"James is obsessed with dinosaurs and bears and when they look away and come back and they scare each other and they play and they, like, when throw something like they'll play throw and when you like psych them out," Hiatt said on TikTok. "And they flinch. And whatever, like, that's what they're always doing."
Hiatt's TikTok post didn't sway many people's minds away from alleging possible child abuse going on in her home.
The Ogden, Utah, Police Department has confirmed to ABC News that an investigation is underway and a detective has been assigned to the case. This follows multiple reports submitted to Child Protective Services.
"We have no idea what is going on in that house," Piazza said. "And I think a lot of people have PTSD from the Ruby Franke incident, where we had a mom influencer who was posting videos about disciplining her children, about taking care of her children. And it turns out that she was actually abusing those children."
Ruby Franke, known for her controversial parenting advice, also gained online fame. Last year, Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, pleaded guilty to abusing two of Franke's six children.
The troubling abuse came to light not from online followers, but only after Franke's 12-year-old son escaped through a window at Hildebrandt's home in southern Utah and ran to a neighbor's house begging for food and water.
"I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door asking for help," the neighbor said to police dispatch after calling 911. "He's emaciated. He's got tape around his legs. He's hungry and he's thirsty."
Hildebrandt and Franke received four consecutive prison sentences ranging from one to 15 years.
Unlike Hildebrandt and Frankie, Hiatt has not been charged with any crime. She responded on TikTok, denying that she or her husband mistreated their children.
"The fact that I'm even being compared to Ruby Franke is absolutely comical," Hiatt said on TikTok. "It's hilarious, really."
The case highlights the drawbacks of sharing your parenting struggles in the spotlight. ABC reached out to Hiatt for a comment on the police investigation, but she did not provide a comment.
"I don't think it's fair that Hannah is being tried in the court of public opinion right now," Piazza said. "But at the same time, if you choose to broadcast your life to hundreds, hundreds of thousands of followers, then this is the price that you pay."
This story has been updated.
