Fiona Jordan apologises for filming toddler vaping video in New York
Fiona Jordan, a New York-based influencer, has taken to social media to address a viral clip from when she was 15 that has recently started doing the rounds online again, causing a lot of 'concern, confusion and anger' among her followers.
The video showed an unknown toddler having a vape put in their mouth, before the small child sucked in the smoke and coughed. Hysterical laughter could be heard in the background.
Ms Jordan was the one behind the camera filming the incident, according to the Daily Mail, and people were quick to condemn the act.
'This is horrifying,' one person said.
Another said: 'Disturbing she thinks child abuse is funny. An absolutely vile individual.'
One said that child protective services should be called in to investigate the situation.
Ms Jordan has since taken to social media to issue an apology about the incident, although she never specified exactly what happened in the clip she was apologising for.
'I was 15 years old, and it was shortly after my mother was murdered. I was not in the right state of mind. I was grieving in ways that even I couldn't understand,' she said.
'As a young girl I was hanging around a lot of the wrong people and making a lot of reckless choices.'
She said she was 'drinking often' and 'made a terrible decision' Ms Jordan said while she wasn't the person who gave the toddler the electronic nicotine device, filming and being there made her 'just as guilty'.
'I take full responsibility for this,' she said.
'Right after this incident, I fully co-operated with law enforcement and took full responsibility for my actions on that day. I am truly, deeply sorry for the pain I caused that family now and then.
'I am so sorry to anyone I have hurt with that video, whether you're a parent or somebody who's experienced harm or gone through anything like that — or, honestly, just as a human being — I am so sorry.'
Ms Jordan said since the incident eight years ago, she has worked incredibly hard to change, grow and heal. She said she was no longer the 'broken teenage girl' she once was.
'I built my page off of authenticity and showing all the real sides of life, and that also means owning up to my mistakes,' she said.
'I am a human. I make mistakes, and this is one I regret more than anything in this world.'
The influencer said the video didn't reflect who she is now, or the values that she holds, adding while she couldn't change what she did, she could hold herself accountable.
Ms Jordan, who is originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, boasts more than 700,000 followers across social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Her mother was killed in a car accident in 2018.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Sickens me': Damning review exposes childcare safety crisis
A scathing review has found children's safety had been compromised by systemic failures, chronic underfunding and outdated practices in Victorian childcare centres, prompting urgent calls for sweeping reform. The Rapid Child Safety Review, released on Wednesday, recommended creating a powerful new watchdog and overhauling the troubled Working With Children Check (WWCC) regime. The review, led by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and public servant Pamela White, handed down 22 recommendations and urged the Victorian government to enact them within 12 months. It followed allegations Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown sexually abused babies and toddlers, prompting at least seven further reports of alleged or proven abuse by people with WWCC clearances since July. Mr Brown is believed to have worked at 24 childcare centres over his career and is facing 73 charges, including 28 of producing child abuse material, 24 of transmitting child abuse material, 13 of sexually touching a child under 16 and three of sexual penetration of a child under 12. His alleged offences triggered a major public health alert, with the parents and guardians of more than 2000 children advised to have them tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. The review's 22 recommendations focus on preventing predators from entering the system, quickly identifying and excluding them if they do, and ensuring they can never work with children again. Key measures include: â—�Establishing a National Early Childhood Worker Register covering all staff with regular contact with children, including casual workers. â—�Overhauling the Working With Children Check and Reportable Conduct schemes to allow unsubstantiated but credible allegations to trigger refusal or suspension. â—�Strengthening the independence and powers of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) regulator, including unannounced inspections of all services at least once a year. â—�Improving physical safety in centres through initiatives such as a 'four eyes' staffing rule and trials of closed-circuit television for regulatory purposes. â—�Enhancing transparency and workforce support, including mandatory child safety training and clearer guidance for reporting concerns. Premier Jacinta Allan apologised to families and committed to implementing all 22 recommendations. 'This sickens me as premier, it also sickens me as a mum,' Ms Allan said. 'I will do everything in my power as Premier to make sure child safety comes first, that's why we're announcing a child safety overhaul.' Victoria will establish a new independent regulator to oversee childcare centres, more than doubling compliance inspections and administering the new Early Childhood Workforce Register. The Social Services Regulator will also be strengthened, consolidating the WWCC, Reportable Conduct Scheme, and Child Safe Standards under one roof with expanded powers to proactively assess risks. 'We are already banning personal devices in childcare rooms to protect children, and work to establish a statewide register of childcare workers is underway,' Ms Allan said. 'We will do everything we can to make sure safety comes first. The government is also calling on the Commonwealth to implement national reforms, including a 10-year strategy for the ECEC system, higher penalties for non-compliance, and the creation of a national Early Childhood Worker Register. The Premier and Cabinet were briefed on Monday, and ministers will meet Friday to discuss immediate action.
Sky News AU
11 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Son of Virginia bowling billionaire wins bid to seal bitter divorce case after wife said he cheated with nanny, dumped her on Christmas Day
The son of a Virginia bowling billionaire embroiled in a bitter divorce worth tens of millions won a bid to seal his divorce case ahead of a courthouse showdown next week with his estranged psychologist wife. Race car-loving scion Peter Goodwin was granted his request by an Albermarle County Circuit Court judge Monday to have the entire divorce case sealed, stretching back to when he first filed to split from wife and mother of his four children Cara Goodwin in January, court records show. The sealing order means that all of the court papers in the case will no longer be publicly accessible, including Cara's accusations that Peter dumped her on Christmas Day 2023 as she held their 4-month-old baby and his papers admitting to having an affair with their former nanny Annette Lombard. The estranged couple, both 40, are slated to face each other in court in Charlottesville on Aug. 27 in a hearing that is currently slated to be open to the public, court records show. Peter, whose dad is uber-successful entrepreneur William Goodwin, proceeded to spend months after the split, cavorting with Lombard, 27, and engaging 'in adulterous acts' with her at fancy hotels like the Four Seasons in Surfside, Fla. and at a ski resort in Jackson Hole, Wyo., court papers alleged. Lombard initially began working for the couple around 2019 when she was 21 and an undergrad at the University of Virginia — which William sat on the board of for years after being appointed by former Gov. George Allen and again by ex-Gov. Bob McDonnell. By 2020, Lombard started working at Peter's office and was eventually promoted to vice president of the company, Cara alleged in court papers. One text exchange revealed the extent of hostilities between the separated duo, according to a report by the Daily Mail. 'Did your family find out what really happened and that you were lying to them, too?' Cara wrote. 'I offered you $45 million and a lot of custody for years of marriage,' Peter replied. 'You trounce around your palace with 2 housekeepers and nanny and still think I owe you more. You can't even engage in conversation unless it's 100% what you want.' 'I am far from perfect and have surely made some mistakes,' Peter continued. 'I felt I didn't like the way you treated me or made me feel. People get divorced because of anger and resentment, not for some one-time thrill.' 'You have no idea how to coparent… instead you threaten me about the schedule. Disparage me. Restrict my time with the kids… stomp on my boundaries,' Peter said. William Goodwin had his hand in a slew of businesses including co-owning the AMF Bowling chain and running investment entities CCA Industries and the Riverstone Group — which has interests in everything from Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina to the tony Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va. William has donated tens of millions of dollars to help fund education and cancer research. A rep for Peter declined to comment. Cara's lawyer didn't immediately return a request for comment. Originally published as Son of Virginia bowling billionaire wins bid to seal bitter divorce case after wife said he cheated with nanny, dumped her on Christmas Day
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Victorian government releases damning review into childcare regulation, 22 recommendations made
Victoria's childcare watchdogs are failing to keep kids safe due to poor information sharing, legal constraint, chronic underfunding and a system that places the privacy of educators and the pursuit of profits over child safety, a rapid review has found. The review, commissioned in the wake of more than 70 charges of child abuse against a Melbourne childcare worker in June, calls for a shake-up of the sector with a new independent early childhood regulator established. The report, chaired by former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, made 22 recommendations which Premier Jacinta Allan has already committed to adopting, while other recommendations are made to the Commonwealth government. Under the plan, the Working with Children Check (WWCC) scheme will also be beefed up, requiring all applicants to complete child safe training. It will also be easier for a WWCC to be revoked or suspended, with the current threshold too high, the report found. ABC investigations have recently uncovered two male educators, sacked by childcare operators, and banned from the sector, who still had active WWCCs at the time of writing. The report said 'red flags' from unsubstantiated reports to the reportable conduct scheme are not being taken into consideration, with action stifled by poor information sharing between authorities. "The review heard multiple times that the 'breadcrumbs' of information about a person — including information which does not meet the relatively high thresholds for substantiated conduct, but which is nevertheless still concerning — is rarely able to be seen and acted upon because no one can see the whole picture,'' it said. The review said Victoria's WWCC laws were the least flexible, a finding similar to the state's ombudsman in 2022, and will increase pressure on the Allan government to explain why it took so long to improve WWCC laws. Predators have been able to escape sanction in Victoria because some centres have placed profits and reputation above child safety. "There are tensions in the system that lead some providers to prioritise other things, including profit in some instances. The review said greater issues existed in the for-profit childcare sector and called on the Commonwealth to lead a discussion about reconsidering the "current funding model and reliance on the market." While the review warned there's "no silver bullet' it said the Commission for Children and Young People, which receives all allegations of reportable conduct, needs to have restrictions on its work loosened. Across the sector the report urged laws to be re-balanced in favour of protecting children, with the current system stifling reporting. "Current legal frameworks are often interpreted as prioritising procedural fairness for employees, which can act as a brake on employers taking early or decisive action to protect children, for fear of industrial or legal challenges." Reports to the CCYP have grown substantially in recent years, but the funding for the Commission has not increased. The Commission warned that 85 per cent of child abuse and harm investigations receive low or minimal oversight. The government is expected to increase funding to regulators. The recommendations also call for a new early learning national reform commission to be set up to lead a reset of Australia's early childhood sector. It calls for tougher penalties for centres that break the law. The report also says providers need to complete more rigorous recruitment practices, which would be assisted by a comprehensive national workers register. As part of the reforms of the WWCC the government should consider reducing the right of appeal, a move NSW has already taken. "No matter how hard we try to keep predators out, some will get through. The system needs to be able to spot them and act quickly," it said. The report also says staffing levels in centres need to be reconsidered to ensure that 'four eyes' are always on children. It recommended immediate action on the report's findings, including at a meeting of national education ministers on Friday. Premier Jacinta Allan will unveil the government's response this afternoon.
