Born two years ago on Twitter, #BalanceYourYoutubeur once again appeared in the network's top trends on Wednesday. Back then, it was a way for victims to put into words what they had been subjected to, often without actually accusing anyone by name. Scrolling through the hashtag, you can read stories of being taken over and manipulated by unconditional fans who, as minors, give the influential videographer who comes to talk to them whatever he or she asks. Often photos, sometimes more.
A few names were circulated, and some of the "bad buzz" gained momentum, but there was no follow-up. On several occasions, #BalanceTonYoutubeur came back, fuelled by new accounts, and then disappeared. But on Wednesday 19 August, new revelations brought the word-diese back into the spotlight: our colleagues at Numerama published an in-depth investigation, backed up by numerous eyewitness accounts. And, above all, a name. That of Baptiste Mortier-Dumont, alias ExperimentBoy, 1.16 million subscribers.
"He asked me to do things, showed me what he was doing".
As his pseudonym suggests, the young man has been making a name for himself since 2012 with his wacky, spectacular and explosive scientific experiments. With his extremely cheerful face, teasing headline and short videos, his target audience is more likely to be a young audience looking for entertainment than a seasoned scientist. Described by France 2 as a "young, slightly mad scientist", he is described as the star of the "13-24 age group" in a report by France 3.
Throughout the summer, Numerama's editorial team gathered a number of testimonials making serious accusations against ExperimentBoy. Thirteen in all. We used to send each other videos when I came home from school," explains Quentin, now 17. I could do whatever he wanted. He'd ask me to do things, show me what he was doing. He advised me to buy certain sex objects, which I did. Numerama explains that the witnesses have a similar profile. They are "young boys who describe themselves as having been 'naive' or 'uncomfortable' as children".
Two complaints lodged
With a spectacular number of followers and a high profile among young people, the youtuber himself approaches young boys on social networks. "He'd tell me to trust him, and I'd tell him about my problems at school, and I quickly became attached. It was the first time a friend had shown me affection. He realised that I had no idea what friendship was and invented a definition of friendship that suited him, so that I fell into it", explains a certain François, aged 11 at the time of his first discussions with the youtuber.
"Don't tell anyone else. [...] It's not a game either, and not that there's anything wrong, just that I exist publicly, so it's complicated," reads a screenshot of a discussion. According to Numerama, two complaints were filed against the youtuber in June and August 2020 for corruption of minors.
"Attempt to destabilise
Back in June, as a number of witnesses began to accuse him on Twitter, ExperimentBoy wrote: "I'll be brief: the perpetrators of the destabilisation attempt will very shortly be brought before the competent courts. I will announce the date of the hearing and the court concerned at a later date. I'll let my lawyers do their job and get on with my projects.
On Wednesday, Numerama also published the response of the youtuber's lawyers to the investigation against him: "In addition to the clear breach of the presumption of innocence, Mr Mortier-Dumont deplores an investigation whose timing (the respondent's position was sought immediately before publication of the article) suggests - even before reading the article - a biased position. He will not hesitate to take legal action against anyone who makes defamatory comments or attacks the presumption of innocence". A few hours after the publication of Numerama's investigation, the most 'liked' comments under ExperimentBoy's latest videos all refer to the accusations against him.
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