Dream job: Influencer and Youtuber

Races on the bike, collecting chestnuts in the fall, snowball fights in the winter, sitting together in the evening in the field watching the sunset, mud fights, reading evenings, community games, days without internet and TV, times without Youtube and social media, long walks with friends and family as soon as it got warmer outside.

These are all things and experiences that I remember from my own childhood. But times change and so do society and norms. Today, everything looks very different.

Children are entertained at a young age with their parents’ cell phones and grow up with the Internet, YouTube and online games. Alongside education, role models have also changed. Children and young people take their cues from influencers, and digital life plays a comparatively large role from an early age. Whereas I used to have career aspirations like pediatrician or kebab woman, many today also want to become influencers. Some already are, so-called “child youtubers” or “child influencers.”

While we grew up with TV series like “Die Gummibärchenbande” , “TKKG”, “Die Teletubbies” or Disney movies, the current young generation grows up with Youtubers, e.g. “BibisBeautyPalace” or “Dagi Bee”, and want to emulate them. The result: children’s Youtubers.

Some are even so successful that they can feed their entire families with income from YouTube alone. Parents give up their jobs to be able to support their offspring in their hobby, because they get enough money from it. The fact that all of their free time is wasted is accepted.

Besides school and family, making YouTube videos takes up all their time. There is no time left to meet friends on the weekend, because Saturday and Sunday are shooting days.

What starts out as a hobby quickly becomes a fixed life plan, Youtuber as a career aspiration.

But are all aspects and side issues really considered?

Are they really sure that their children are safe on the World Wide Web?

Because not all users of Youtube watch their videos just because the topics might be interesting. Among all the viewers, there may be people hiding who are sexually attracted to the children who abuse these videos for their fantasies.

With platforms, personal data is always disclosed; in some cases
sometimes you can find the home address, telephone numbers and exact
and exact details of family members. The families are not even aware of
of this, but it happens more and more often because children and families
and families do not inform themselves properly and take the risk without thinking.
risk without much thought.

According to the Youth Welfare Office, there are “tough” requirements for children to be allowed to run YouTube channels. Agreements with the school and time limits are two examples. But how tough are they really? What are the consequences of violations? Because when you hear that masses of private data can be viewed if you search for it, I question these requirements.

For all this, not even necessarily the children bear the responsibility, as they are still quite young, but the parents. But do they also see this responsibility? Or is the desire for fame and money greater than the interest in protecting the child?

What I also wonder…Now it will be cool and fun, but what about in 10 years? Will they regret sacrificing their childhood and youth for YouTube?

Mia Rauchhaupt – Author, Oderso Magazine