Court bans ‘mass sperm donor’ Jonathan Meijer from addressing children on YouTube
A Dutch court has ruled that Jonathan Meijer, the man who fathered at least 550 children through sperm donation, can no longer address his donor children in YouTube videos. The decision follows a lawsuit filed by parents and Stichting Donorkind, who accused him of using his platform to influence children with controversial views.
Meijer must remove all existing videos in which he speaks directly to the children or criticizes their parents. The court also prohibited him from making public statements on the matter in any form other than video. If he fails to comply, he faces a fine of 10,000 euros per day, up to a maximum of 100,000 euros.
The ruling comes after parents accused Meijer of using YouTube to promote harmful ideas, including incest and extreme traditional gender roles. “He regularly addresses the children, giving them unsolicited advice on life and telling them how they should view their parents,” said Ties van der Meer, director of Stichting Donorkind.
Meijer has made videos with titles such as Blessed are the Trad Wives and Trad Man Power, advocating for a strict traditional division of gender roles. He has suggested that modern parents are weak for struggling to raise two children, pointing to historical families with up to 15 children as examples of resilience.
One of the parents involved in the lawsuit described his content as “bizarre.” Meijer reportedly advised children to eat pig brains and shared unconventional opinions about hygiene and relationships.
According to mother Natalie Dijkdrenth, Meijer encouraged children to choose partners who look like them and share their beliefs. He also criticized modern parenting styles and glorified large families. “Some children are very impressionable because of their age. As parents, we can do our best, but as a donor, he still has a certain appeal to them,” Dijkdrenth said.
The court had previously urged Meijer and the parents to negotiate guidelines for his YouTube content, but no agreement was reached, leading to the judge’s decision.
This is not the first time Meijer has faced legal action. In 2023, a court banned him from donating sperm to new parents after determining he had fathered at least 550 children. He is only allowed to donate to parents who already have a child from his sperm and want another. However, in September, Meijer claimed he was still donating to families who requested it, openly defying the court order.
Meijer was also the subject of the Netflix documentary The Man with 1000 Kids, which suggested he may have fathered as many as 3,000 children. He disputes that figure, maintaining the number is 550.
