The speaker expresses concern about the Ryan's World YouTube channel, which features a young boy, Ryan, and his parents reviewing toys. They argue that the channel is a tool for marketing and could be dangerous for young children. The speaker also criticizes the channel for being a commercial and for always featuring McDonald's. They express concern that the channel could be manipulating children for financial gain.
The speaker mentions that Ryan's World took home an approximate income of $29.5 million in 2020, making Ryan the highest paid YouTuber for the year. Ryan is only 9 years old, making him younger than the Angry Birds mobile game and the legal working age for a McDonald's employee.
The speaker also discusses Ryan's mother, Luanne Caggi, who has a criminal past. She was arrested for shoplifting at a JC Penney store in Houston, Texas, when she was 18. She was fined $150 and given 40 hours of community service. She was also put on a six-month probation.
The speaker mentions that Ryan's parents created the Ryan's World channel after Ryan expressed a desire to be on YouTube. The channel gained viral success with a video featuring a giant lightning McQueen egg surprise, which gained 20 million views. The channel began posting new videos daily, leading to discussions about whether the channel is in the best interest of Ryan or is a form of child exploitation.
The speaker questions whether Ryan's involvement in the videos is part of the channel's dark side. They suggest that the channel's success and the money it generates are going to the parents, not Ryan. They also question whether Ryan is being forced to appear in the videos.
The speaker mentions a complaint filed to the Federal Trade Commission in 2019, claiming that the sponsor videos feel too authentic and cannot be distinguished from unsponsored content. Ryan's parents responded by stating that they strictly follow all platforms' terms of service and existing laws and regulations, including advertising disclosure statements.
The speaker concludes by stating that they believe the audience needs to draw their own conclusions about whether Ryan is being exploited for the financial gain of his parents or if it is reasonable as long as he's receiving a cut of the pie. They also question the ethics of continuing sponsorships to an audience too young to understand that they're being advertised to.
1. The speaker expresses concern about the Ryan's World channel, stating it's a tool for marketing and potentially dangerous for young children.
2. The Ryan's World channel is the highest paid YouTube channel for the year 2020, earning an approximate income of $29.5 million.
3. Ryan, the main character of the channel, is only 9 years old, making him younger than the Angry Birds mobile game and the legal working age for a McDonald's employee.
4. Ryan's mother, Luanne Caggi, has a criminal past, including a seven-year multi-million dollar YouTube stardom.
5. Ryan's parents created the Ryan's World channel and began making videos with him in 2015.
6. The channel gained viral success in July 2015 with their video "Giant Lightning McQueen Egg Surprise," which gained 20 million views.
7. The channel began posting new videos daily after their first piece of viral success.
8. The channel's dark side includes concerns about whether the channel is in the best interest of Ryan or is a borderline abuse to have the child doing so much work with the money ultimately going to the parents.
9. The channel's dark side also includes concerns about whether Ryan is being forced to appear in the videos.
10. The channel's dark side also includes concerns about how the money is being earned, with around 90% of Ryan's World's videos containing sponsored content targeted to pre-schools who were too young to distinguish between a sponsored video and a review.
11. The channel's dark side also includes concerns about the criminal history of Luanne Caggi, making an impact on how the channel is run today.