‘Kindness’ influencers on TikTok give money to strangers. Why is that controversial?

‘Kindness’ influencers on TikTok give money to strangers. Why is that controversial?

20 hours ago
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https://apnews.com/article/kindness-content-influencers-charity-tiktok-7d5f5bb4e02c34339a3e4d3d8d2343e6

Every Christmas growing up in Minnesota, Jimmy Darts’ parents gave him $200 in cash: $100 for himself and $100 for a stranger. Now, with over 12 million followers on TikTok and several million more on other platforms, philanthropy is his full-time job.

Darts, whose real surname is Kellogg, is one of the biggest creators of “kindness content,” a subset of social media videos devoted to helping strangers in need, often with cash amassed through GoFundMe and other crowdfunding methods. A growing number of creators like Kellogg give away thousands of dollars – sometimes even more – on camera as they also encourage their large followings to donate.