By Matthew Lindeman, Newswire Intern 

23-year-old influencer, Carson Barry, was arrested on Sept. 10, 2026, on six charges related to sexual exploitation of minors as well as solicitation of a minor, according to the office of South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. 

Barry, who has roughly 150,000 followers on Instagram and 420,000 on TikTok, was brought to the attention of investigators after they received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  

According to WCSC, the report led investigators to search Barry’s home, during which they seized a computer tower and two iPhones, on one of which they found an explicit video of a minor girl being assaulted by a man. An affidavit states that investigators discovered the iPhone was Barry’s due to the iCloud account associated with the phone being connected to Barry’s Gmail account. 

Barry has since been released from prison on a $1 million bond. People Magazine reports it was on the condition that he does not make any contact with the victim.  

Furthermore, Barry has gained popularity in recent years for his videos on Instagram and TikTok, many of which have gone viral. Most of his videos involve dance or relationship-related content. Notably, Barry has been relatively open with his followers 

regarding his struggles with depression as well as his infertility, a topic that has garnered notoriety in the wake of his arrest. 

 Shortly after his arrest, a reel Barry posted on Facebook in August resurfaced. The reel, which shows Barry holding a baby before cutting to a video selfie of himself with the caption “Remembering I’m infertile so I’ll never be a dad…” has been met with harsh criticism since Barry’s arrest. Some have users made comments such as “Honestly, probably for the best my guy,” “Last thing you deserve is a baby” and “You don’t deserve to be a dad.”  

Meanwhile, Barry’s follower count since his arrest has been stagnant. Data from Social Blade shows that in the week following his arrest, Barry lost roughly 263 followers on Instagram, going from 148,578 followers the day before his arrest to 148,315 followers a week later.  

On TikTok, that number is higher. In the week following his arrest, Barry lost roughly 2,300 followers on TikTok, going from 426,300 followers the day before his arrest to 424,000 followers a week later. 

The South Carolina Attorney General’s office will prosecute the case, and Barry is scheduled to make an appearance in court on Oct. 30. Barry is facing 60 years in jail if found guilty, up to 10 years for each count. Attorney General Wilson has stressed that, despite the charges Barry faces, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.