YouTube is one of the world's largest online platforms... period. It's become such an encyclopedia of content that almost anything and everything can be found on it, whether it's travel tips, step-by-step DiY processes, lifestyle, health, sports or, really, anything else! There's no denying YouTube's popularity among the younger generation.
However, it's important that children be influenced by the right kind of online content. Here's a list of YouTube personalities and channels your children are mostly following, and what you should watch out for.
A pioneer in YouTube, PewDiePie is the user with the single largest subscriber base on the entire platform. This Swedish content creator is an institution! He basically invented the now-popular gaming genre on YouTube. He's a big-time influencer who is witty, charismatic and hilarious. Your kids should follow him if they’re into gaming. PewDiePie occasionally goes off-script and has put up a few controversial videos in the past, so proceed with caution!
One of the more popular stars in YouTube, Ryan Higa's outrageously funny comedy skits will bring you to tears! This 28-year-old Hawaiian works to ensure that his content is kept ‘PG’, and it’s mostly slice-of-life work. A 12-year veteran on the platform, he has the 31st largest subscriber base as of June 2018.
Zoe Elisabeth Sugg is a beauty-lifestyle guru. She talks about a wide range of topics, from lipstick and makeup to pets and beyond. Catering primarily to a female demographic, she openly talks about her issues with anxiety and how to deal with them, making her a great influence on younger viewers dealing with similar issues.
Science can sometimes be a burden to children in school, but not if there's a cooler and more fun way to learn it. AsapSCIENCE takes a cooler and simple approach to explaining some of life's difficult questions, a method which kids happen to love!
Shane Dawson started off with comedy sketches, parodies and celebrity impersonations, which saw him go viral. He spoofed several music videos and TV shows, before eventually moving on to pursuing a music career! His channel offers a plethora of entertaining content for teenagers.
The American Teen Choice nominee YouTuber has a channel that is primarily vlog-based but has various forms of content. Some of his most popular videos are challenges with other YouTubers! He also has his own mini web series called "Storytellers", which has gone viral.
PEWDIEPIE VS KSI
One of Youtube's most popular stars, this British sensation has one of the most popular gaming channels on the platform. He's interacted with and even interviewed some of the biggest celebrities across the globe, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Joe Weller's channel is a library of content. From exploring haunted houses to embarrassing himself in public (!) to performing WWE moves in a swimming pool, he's truly made a name for himself among the younger generation of today, doing almost all there is to do!
9) AndrewSchrock - 1.8 million subscribers
Andrew Schrock posts videos on almost a daily basis. Most of these involve skateboarding, pranks and skits... and more!
Starting off with DiY videos, this channel has evolved to include hit comedy sketches, music videos and lifestyle videos.
SoulPancake is a channel filled with several different kinds of content, from the light-hearted - “Kid President” is a running series of videos, and they also do a series on “Puppet News” - to the serious, like people dealing with their last days or emotional stories of human relationships. This is the ideal channel for kids to learn and expand their horizons.
Under Fine Brothers Entertainment (FBE), the 'Kids & Teens React' section is a huge hit - and for good reason! The younger generation watches videos of the most bizarre and hilarious things, capturing organic, natural reactions. An older viewer can easily feel the disconnect and generation gap, and it can be quite hilarious! Watch with your kids!
Popular for her video series "Things Guys/Girls Do", Jenna Marbles has ventured into other videos involving makeup, pets and more. Her
14) AwesomenessTV - 6.4 million subscribers
Founded in 2012, AwesomenessTV creates content for the teen and preteen demographic, creating web series, TV shows, Hollywood news and even movies.
Starting from the very early days of YouTube, for over 13 years, Smosh has delved into the world of comedy and gaming, making a name for themselves as one of YouTube's most popular videos have been viewed over a staggering two billion times!
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One of the biggest stars on YouTube, Indian-Canadian Lilly Singh's videos parodying her parents went viral and shot her to fame! Her quirky sense of humour and ability to make fun of herself has resulted in widespread popularity, especially among teen and preteen girls. If you’re Indian, or have a lot of Indian friends, then you’ll really relate to these videos.
Theekholms is a channel for children, posting a web series called "Mermaid Secrets of the Deep". This fantasy adventure, starring mermaids, is now in its 10th season. It’s very popular among pre-teens, and new episodes release every Saturday.
18) Markiplier - 20 million subscribers
Mark Fischbach's viral channel is the 32nd most subscribed channel on YouTube and focuses on survival games and his own animated sketch series.
Taking audience engagement to a new level, Dan and Phil's YouTube channel sees the charismatic duo play the games that are most popular among the younger generation. Their chemistry makes for hilarious interaction… and makes them very popular among youngsters!
And finally...
A hidden gem, Studio B is a smaller channel featuring a young girl named Brooke who takes viewers on her journey of reading! She's very interactive with her fans and it's a great platform for children to know which books to read. Her reviews are interesting and engaging, and very accessible as she’s a preteen herself! This channel can also be quite inspiring for other preteens who are interested in starting a YouTube channel of their own!
YouTube entertains people of all kinds around the world, and it's important that children today follow YouTubers who not only entertain but also direct children on the right path.
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Authored by Suren, the co-founder and CEO of Mobicip, and a passionate advocate for mobile learning and Internet safety. Suren speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He also serves as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts.
