Should I Let My Kid Start a YouTube Channel?

Well, this is certainly something I can’t ask my parents or in-laws about. This is something that I think only Generation X and Millenial Parents (and generations in the future) must deal with. Our technology has advanced so much, that it’s really kind of scary when you stop to think about it. I mean, it’s amazing too, right? I actually just hooked up a new internet modem just by downloading an app, scanning a QR code and clicking a few buttons. Tada! Magic. Imagine that twenty years ago, let alone 40 years ago. God forbid. Our parents and grand-parents would have thought the world was ending or we were being invaded by aliens. (No joke). LOL

So my eight year old asked me one day if he could start a YouTube channel. I didn’t know what to say really, so I hedged and said maybe someday. Well, turns out he’s more persistent than I thought. My kids have had technological devices since they were small. They are amazing learning tools. I find that kids who have access to technology are much farther advanced than are kids who have simply books and learning toys.

Since the coming of the internet age, people have had to adapt a lot to the changing times. We have learned to use computers and cell phones (there was once a time when only the rich and privileged had access to devices, but now every since person has a phone). Schools give computer access to kinder-aged children, and they learn early how to navigate on devices. If I wasn't so technologically savvy myself, my son might very well know more about my cell phone than me.

Times have changed my friends. Snakes, dirt and board games just don’t capture attention for that long anymore. Kids are watching all kinds of things on the internet. My son in particular is obsessed with FGTeeV, on Youtube. This guy looks like he may have been a pro-gamer, decided to have a few kids and now they all play online while he films it for his YouTube channel. As of the writing of this blog, his channel has over 21 million subscribers (Probably mostly kids). He also started his youngest son with a YouTube channel of his own apparently, or from what my son tells me. (This is part of his trying to convince me act).

Obviously, with this many subscribers, gaming and creating YouTube videos are his main job and main focus. He probably makes mad money off this channel, and he can afford to hire videographers and editors if he wants to. He had already made the decision for his kids to immerse them in this gaming world at a super young age (his baby was watching him play video games right out of the womb and he now looks to be at least four or five years old). So why not set him up with his own channel? I know kids still have rights, but until they turn 18, they cannot legally earn money from YouTube without the consent or supervision of an adult.

So coming back to my son - he sees things like this online. Other kids seem to be having fun with YouTube online, playing games with their friends. Why not do the same and make more money? He also sees me as a role model - I have had a YouTube channel for four years now. I’m not at any “glamorous” stage yet, but that is all he sees - the glamorous part where he can see my face on tv. He assumes I’m famous because people comment on my channel and watch my videos. He doesn’t understand all the work that goes into making a YouTube channel. I have tried explaining that you need to make videos all the time. You can’t just make one video every month and expect to gain tons of subscribers.

Trying to make an eight year old understand all the logistics behind it is pointless. At this stage of my career and life (we are currently expecting our third child at Christmas 2022), I can’t see us being able to hire an editor to help with editing videos for my son. I also can’t see myself doing it either. My business is more than a full time job, and the only way to get all my work done each day is to be super productive and efficient at key moments throughout my day. Trust me, the work just to plan and schedule myself is work all unto itself. There actually was a time when my husband decided to start a gaming channel for Clash of Clans on his iPad. For the first few videos, I had to edit them for him until he was able to start learning how to use iMovie. He has stopped momentarily (I’m not sure if he gave up, or is just taking a break), but I did say it was hard trying to be consistent posting videos all the time. You have to have lots of preserverence and I’m not sure that’s something that an eight year old has learned yet.

However, every person (no matter how old) has to do things for themselves in order to learn. It would be kind of neat to see my son do things he loves and do something productive with it at the same time. I think I would wait until he is at least ten to see where his maturity level lay, and then check in once more. If he was still interested in it, I could re-evaluate where things are and maybe try at that point.

What do you think? Do your kids play games online, or watch YouTube? Do they have a YouTube channel? How did you come to terms with it? Let me know in the comments! See you next time!

Sandra