Written by Rod Palmer
More than 100 children—some as young as 13—were employed in hazardous jobs making memes, editing videos for Yellow, and peeling potatoes for Greg at the MemeFactory.
The MemeFactory's executives all fled the country ahead of the announcement from the U.S. Department of Labor. MemeFactory leadership is suspected to be laying low in a rural region of El Salvador, hoping to avoid U.S. law enforcement.
"It's just appalling. These children should be in school! They should be playing with their friends on the playground!" an official from the U.S. Department of Labor told The Bugle. "Instead of getting their education and just being able to be kids they were forced to do dangerous and tedious work. Making an eccentric video for Yellow that mocks influencers and macro economists can lead to carpel tunnel, among other things." The official said.
None of the children showed signs of serious injury or health problems, according to healthcare professionals who treated the victims. However, one young boy has several mild burns and cuts on his hands from peeling potatoes. "Greg eats a lot of french fries. He had multiple children working in shifts peeling potatoes to cook in a shoddy old deep fryer. We estimate he was consuming upwards of 20lbs of french fries per day." One official said in a statement.
The government hasn't announced any criminal charges or fines but told The Bugle there investigation is ongoing. The Bugle reached out to members of the MemeFactor for comment but received no reply.