My Kids Want to Be YouTubers [VIDEO]

Rogelio Valdés

Feb 1, 2021

Many parents write to me saying that their children want to become YouTubers. Some see that as something positive and encourage the interest, while others see it as something negative. What does being a YouTuber really involve? Is it actually a bad thing? And above all, how can you support your children if this is what they want? Let me explain.

The main concern parents share with me is the idea that YouTubers are lazy, that they neither study nor work seriously, and that they are not interested in building real skills in other areas. Many say, “they should study for a real career.” But creating content for YouTube does not mean these creators do not have careers or meaningful work.

On YouTube, as in most media, there is everything. There are content creators who do not add much value, yes. But there are also many others who do. In fact, it is difficult to build an audience if you are not providing something valuable to people. Of course, every person values different things.

Take the channel Quantum Fracture, for example, which I personally enjoy a lot. They create science communication content and explain ideas like quantum physics, relativity, and other concepts many people shy away from. The channel has more than two million subscribers, and the creator is definitely not someone who “does nothing.” He studied physics at the Autonomous University of Madrid. And just like that channel, there are many others, such as MinutePhysics, Crash Course, Oversimplified, Mark Rober, and more.

Is it good to aspire to this?

Wanting to become a YouTuber is not really something new. It is very similar to what happened years ago when children wanted to be on television, become actors, or become singers. All of those are content-creation professions. The difference now is simply the medium, and it is very normal for children to want to become like the people they admire. Personally, I find the educational creators I mentioned very admirable.

That said, it is important to understand who your children admire. There are all kinds of creators, and just as some actors or singers may not be good influences, there can be YouTubers in the same category. My recommendation is always the same: talk with your children. Let them show you the channels they are watching and the type of content they want to create.

How can you support them?

Help them create video content in a healthy way. When it comes to online safety, I already made an entire video about the different protections we can put in place so that children can be safer on these platforms.

Encourage them to record videos, write scripts, build a simple set so their shots look better, learn to use editing software, and so on. In the end, these are very useful skills that can serve them for the rest of their life, even if they do not remain YouTubers forever. If you want to know more about how to help your children learn these skills, you can check the outline of our YouTube Production Course for children and teens.