When it comes to YouTube success stories, few have had a more meteoric rise to glory than Ryan Kaji. Dubbed ‘YouTube’s richest 12-year-old’, Ryan is the face of a wildly popular YouTube channel called Ryan’s World, which hosts a combination of Vlogs and toy unboxing videos. Ryan's channel now has a whopping 37.9m subscribers.
The success of the channel has spun off into a huge range of other ventures, from a ‘Ryan’s World’ toy line on shelves at Walmart, through to an animated cartoon show, video games and even a feature film.
Fellow YouTuber Jon Youshaei recently hosted an interview with Ryan, alongside his parents Loanna and Shion Kaji and it wasa certainly controversial.
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Though the interview had a broadly positive tone, providing advice for aspiring creators and detailing the biggest lessons Ryan learned from his parents, not all viewers were impressed. Some commenters expressed concern for Ryan and the pressure he was under. Many expressed a wish to hear from Ryan himself, without the input and potential pressure of his parents presence.
One commenter was blunt in his feelings: “Can't wait for the REAL Ryan interview in 10 years, and not just his parents being interviewed with him present.” Others agreed, expressing disappointment that Ryan barely spoke during the 53 minute video.
Another commenter had a more darkly cynical view of matters: “I feel like in 20 years we will see a Netflix doc about how his parents robbed him blind, pushed him for more and more content and he becomes an addict and loses everything.” there was general agreement, with one commenter stating: “Give it another ten years. When we get to see HIM be interviewed, not just his parents while he’s also present, I imagine this story is gonna be a lot darker.”
We can only hope that the situation is not as dire as some have suggested, and that Ryan has a happy and secure childhood. However this interview only further stokes concerns about the children of ‘family vloggers’ who have grown up in the public eye.
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Early cinema had to grapple with the question of how to protect a child who earns more than their parents. Stories such as that of Jackie Coogan, whose parents frittered away his entire £3 million fortune, prompted laws that protected the income of child stars.
Unfortunately, no such laws protect children such as Ryan Kaji. It remains his parents responsibility to ensure he enters adulthood secure and financially stable.