Is this the end of faceless internet trolls? How one ‘mumfluencer' is turning the tables

The Age

25-06-2025

For mothers like Indy Clinton, there are many upsides to being a content creator – you're your own boss, you can work from home with your children, you have direct access to a like-minded community. But there's one major downside: trolls.
Clinton, an Australian 'mumfluencer' who won TikTok creator of the year in 2023, has repeatedly called out bad online behaviour, particularly when it comes to hateful comments. Then she hired a private investigator to help expose the identities of those who continuously 'online troll, defame and cyberbully' her.
The three-month investigation resulted in a 64-page dossier, and Clinton has said she is prepared to hold her online bullies accountable.
Clinton told this masthead she was waiting on 'a few back-end things' before commenting on next steps. This follows more forthright statements on her social media accounts.
'These faceless strangers are hiding behind anonymous accounts destroying mental health and costing lives,' she said. 'I will create change and I will make an impact because if this can affect a 27-year-old mother with three kids, and almost rob them of their mother, this can affect anyone.'
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So, what could this mean for influencers and their trolls – could it spell the end of online anonymity?
Are there more trolls than ever?
Online trolls do appear to lurk in every corner of the internet. One in three Australian adults witnessed online hate in 2022, and almost one in five (18 per cent) have personally experienced it. This has had a detrimental effect on users' mental health, with more than half of adults surveyed by the eSafety Commissioner reporting at least one significant negative impact following online hate.