The Dark Side Of Ryan ToysReview

Summary

This video script delves into the controversial aspects of 'Ryan's World,' a YouTube channel featuring 9-year-old Ryan, who earned $29.5 million in 2020. The channel, criticized for potentially exploiting Ryan and pushing marketing to young audiences, has faced legal issues over undisclosed sponsorships. The video also touches on Ryan's mother's criminal past and questions the ethics of child-focused channels, raising concerns about the impact of such content on children's development and the transparency of advertising.

Takeaways

• 👦 The primary focus of the video script is the concern for children's well-being, emphasizing that children should be put first in all matters.
• 🚼 The script criticizes channels like 'Ryan's World' for being perceived as marketing tools with no educational value, potentially harmful to young and impressionable minds.
• 🎨 The video describes 'Ryan's World' as a giant commercial, suggesting that it manipulates children for financial gain, with a particular focus on promoting McDonald's.
• 🏆 It highlights that Ryan, the child star of the channel, earned an approximate income of 29.5 million dollars in 2020, making him the highest-paid YouTuber that year.
• 🔍 The script raises questions about the ethics of child involvement in YouTube channels, labor laws, and the value children bring to content versus what they receive in return.
• 👶 It mentions that Ryan started his YouTube channel at the age of three and a half, questioning whether his involvement was voluntary or influenced by his parents.
• 🤔 The video ponders whether Ryan's appearances on the channel could be considered exploitation, considering the workload and the financial rewards.
• 💰 There is speculation about how the revenue generated by the channel is distributed, with concerns that Ryan's parents may be keeping most of the earnings.
• 📉 The script discusses legal issues related to undisclosed paid sponsorships within 'Ryan's World' videos, which could mislead young viewers.
• 👮‍♀️ It reveals a criminal past of Ryan's mother, Luanne Caggi, who was jailed for shoplifting and failing to comply with her community service obligations.
• 🤝 The video acknowledges the difficulty in determining the extent of the 'dark side' of 'Ryan's World', leaving it to the audience to form their own opinions on the ethics and practices of the channel.

Q & A

What is the main concern expressed about the 'Ryan's World' YouTube channel?

The main concern is that the channel may be exploiting young children for marketing purposes, with a focus on consumerism and potentially harmful content for impressionable young minds.

How is the content of 'Ryan's World' described in the transcript?

The content is described as a 'giant commercial' with a heavy emphasis on promoting products like McDonald's, and being potentially addictive for children with no educational purpose.

What was the approximate income of 'Ryan's World' in 2020 according to Forbes?

'Ryan's World' reportedly earned an approximate income of 29.5 million dollars in 2020, making it the highest-paid YouTube channel for that year.

How old is Ryan, the main character of 'Ryan's World'?

Ryan is only 9 years old, which is younger than the Angry Birds mobile game, the film Avatar, and the legal working age for a McDonald's employee.

What is the controversy surrounding Ryan's mother, Luanne Caggi?

Luanne Caggi, Ryan's mother, has a criminal past involving shoplifting and failure to comply with court-ordered community service, which led to a jail sentence.

What was the initial reason Ryan started appearing on YouTube according to the transcript?

Ryan started appearing on YouTube because he asked his mother why he wasn't on YouTube when he saw other kids there, which led his parents to create 'Ryan ToysReview' channel.

What ethical questions does the script raise about children's channels on YouTube?

The script raises questions about labor laws, the value children bring to content, whether they receive fair compensation, and the ethics of parents pushing their children into content creation for ad revenue.

Is there a suggestion in the transcript that Ryan might be forced to appear in videos?

The transcript suggests skepticism about Ryan's voluntary involvement, considering his young age when he started and the daily schedule of the channel, which might imply some level of coercion.

How much work does Ryan actually do on the channel according to the transcript?

Ryan's role is primarily as the host and face of the channel, which is suggested to be the easiest part of the work, with the bulk of the effort being done by his parents and team behind the scenes.

What was the complaint filed to the Federal Trade Commission about 'Ryan's World'?

The complaint claimed that sponsored videos on 'Ryan's World' felt too authentic and could not be distinguished from non-sponsored content, potentially misleading young viewers.

What is the perspective on advertising within children's content presented in the transcript?

The transcript presents a dilemma on the ethics of advertising within children's content, questioning to what extent disclosures should be made and whether such advertising should be allowed at all given the target audience's age.

How does the transcript address the issue of financial gain from the channel?

The transcript discusses the potential exploitation and questions whether the financial gain is being appropriately shared with Ryan, suggesting that a significant portion should be set aside for his future.

What is the final judgment suggested on the 'Ryan's World' channel in the transcript?

The transcript does not provide a definitive judgment but instead encourages the audience to draw their own conclusions about the ethics and practices of the 'Ryan's World' channel.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Ethical Concerns and the Dark Side of Ryan's World

The first paragraph discusses the ethical dilemmas surrounding children's content on YouTube, specifically focusing on 'Ryan's World.' It raises concerns about the channel's potential to exploit children for marketing purposes, the influence of commercialism on young viewers, and the channel's high earnings. The paragraph also touches on legal issues related to undisclosed sponsorships and the exploitation of Ryan by his parents. Additionally, it reveals a criminal past of Ryan's mother, Luanne Caggi, which included a prison sentence for her actions in her youth. The paragraph concludes by questioning whether the channel's success is a result of hard work or unethical practices.

05:00

🤔 The Voluntary Involvement and Financial Aspects of Ryan's Channel

The second paragraph delves into the debate over whether Ryan's involvement in his YouTube channel is voluntary or forced. It contrasts channels where children genuinely want to participate with those where they appear to be coerced by their parents. The paragraph questions the legitimacy of Ryan's desire to be on YouTube, given his young age when the channel started, and suggests that the idea for the channel might have originated from his mother. It also addresses the workload distribution, indicating that most of the work is done by Ryan's parents and their team, not Ryan himself. The discussion then shifts to the financial rewards, speculating on how much of the channel's earnings Ryan might receive and whether this could be considered exploitation or a fair compensation for his work.

10:01

📉 The Ethicality of Advertising and Ryan's World's Financial Transparency

The third paragraph examines the ethical considerations of advertising within children's content, particularly when the audience is too young to understand sponsored content. It mentions a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission against Ryan's World for blending sponsored content too seamlessly with non-sponsored content. The response from Ryan's parents emphasizes their adherence to legal requirements and the priority of their viewers' well-being. The paragraph ponders the necessity of advertising for the channel's sustainability and questions the extent to which sponsors should be disclosed to young audiences. It concludes by inviting the audience to form their own opinions on the ethical stance of Ryan's World and its practices.

Keywords

💡Ryan's World

Ryan's World is a YouTube channel featuring Ryan Kaji, a young child who reviews toys and engages in various entertaining activities for young audiences. The channel is central to the video's theme, as it discusses the ethics and implications of a child's involvement in such a popular and lucrative online platform. The script mentions the channel's high earnings and the controversy surrounding the exploitation of children in digital media.

💡Exploitation

Exploitation refers to the act of treating someone unfairly in order to use their ideas or abilities for one's own advantage. In the context of the video, it raises questions about whether Ryan's parents are exploiting him for financial gain through his YouTube channel. The script discusses the potential for ethical concerns when children are involved in commercial activities such as YouTube channels.

💡Sponsorship

Sponsorship in the video refers to the financial support provided by companies for the content on Ryan's World in exchange for advertising. The script highlights a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission about the channel not fully disclosing paid sponsorships, which raises questions about transparency and the ethics of marketing to young children.

💡Ethics

Ethics pertains to moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. The video explores the ethical implications of child involvement in commercial activities on YouTube, such as the balance between a child's desire to participate and the potential for exploitation by parents or advertisers. The script uses the term to discuss the controversy surrounding Ryan's World and similar channels.

💡Financial Gain

Financial gain refers to the increase in wealth or profit acquired through a particular activity. The video discusses the significant income generated by Ryan's World, which has led to debates about whether the channel's operations are primarily for the financial benefit of Ryan's parents rather than his personal enjoyment or educational value.

💡Child Labor Laws

Child labor laws are regulations designed to protect minors from being overworked or exploited in the workforce. The script touches on the question of whether the work involved in creating YouTube content for children like Ryan constitutes a violation of child labor laws and what the implications might be for channels featuring children.

💡Impressionable

To be impressionable means to be easily influenced, especially in the case of young children whose minds are still developing. The video script uses this term to express concern about the impact of commercial content on young viewers, who may not be able to distinguish between entertainment and advertising.

💡McDonald's

McDonald's is mentioned in the script as an example of a brand frequently associated with Ryan's World, suggesting a possible sponsorship or commercial relationship. The video uses this as an example to discuss the channel's content and the potential for advertising to young audiences.

💡Criminal History

Criminal history refers to a person's record of criminal convictions or offenses. The script mentions the criminal past of Ryan's mother, Luanne Kaji, which included a period of incarceration. This information is presented to provide context about her character and to explore potential connections to the channel's operations.

💡YouTube Star

A YouTube star is an individual who has gained fame and popularity through their presence on the YouTube platform. The video discusses Ryan's status as a YouTube star and the implications of his early involvement in digital media, including the potential for exploitation and the ethical considerations of child stars.

💡Viewer Well-being

Viewer well-being refers to the health and safety of the audience, particularly the young viewers of Ryan's World. The script mentions this in relation to the channel's response to criticism about not fully disclosing paid sponsorships, emphasizing the importance of considering the impact of their content on children.

Highlights

The importance of prioritizing children's interests over marketing strategies.

Concerns about the influence of commercial content on young and impressionable minds.

Criticism of channels that exploit children for monetary gain.

The addictive nature of certain children's content on platforms like YouTube.

Ryan's World's significant income of $29.5 million in 2020, making it the highest-earning YouTube channel.

Ethical considerations regarding the involvement of children in content creation and the potential for exploitation.

Ryan's mother, Luanne Caggi's, past criminal history and its implications for the channel.

The debate over whether Ryan's participation in the channel is voluntary or forced.

The workload distribution between Ryan and the adults involved in the channel's production.

Speculations on how the channel's earnings are distributed and whether Ryan receives a fair share.

Legal issues and FTC complaints regarding undisclosed paid sponsorships in children's content.

The ethical dilemma of advertising to an audience that may not understand the concept of sponsored content.

The role of parents in allowing and supervising their children's engagement with commercial content.

The potential long-term effects of early fame and financial success on young YouTubers like Ryan.

The necessity of transparency and responsibility in children's media and marketing.

The balance between creating entertaining content for children and respecting their rights and well-being.

Transcripts

i think the important thing is just make

sure to put the kids first

the kids first get the kids first

[Music]

nothing more than a tool for marketing

to bury young children zero value to

kids it's straight up dangerous and

should be blocked by most

parents i hate this channel everything

about it seriously awful

it's a giant commercial and they are

always talking about freaking mcdonald's

young brains are impressionable and this

is completely not what i want my child

to witness as fun

garbage pure garbage just another way to

manipulate kids to make money from this

type of parents it has no

educational purpose why does a child

need that many toys he's gonna have girl

issues because everything is about

me and me ryan's toy review was like a

trash reality tv show for small children

it seems to be addictive for kids

[Music]

according to forbes throughout 2020

ryan's world took home an approximate

income of 29.5

million dollars making him the highest

paid youtuber for the year

above the likes of mr beast and jeffrey

starr

the most significant part which i'm sure

many of you are already aware

is that ryan is only 9 years old making

him younger than the angry birds mobile

game the film avatar as well as the

legal working age for a mcdonald's

employee

29.5 million isn't exactly a bad wicket

for anyone who's yet to go through

puberty

considering in every episode it looks

like ryan is having the time of his life

on the surface it seems as though the

ryan's world channel is the spitting

image of perfection

itself however like all things in life

the ryan's world channel has a dark side

that's rarely talked about in the media

we try not to capture

any moment orion in distress legal

battles to do with not fully disclosing

paid sponsorships within videos

the exploitation of ryan for the

financial gain of his parents

and most surprisingly the criminal

history associated with ryan's mother

luanne caggi

who in her younger years actually went

to prison seven seven-year multi-million

dollar youtube star ryan coggy's mother

has a criminal past in june 2002 when

ryan's mum was 18 years old she was

called shoplifting at a jc penney

located in her hometown of houston texas

the security of the store discovered

that she'd been trying to steal six

items of clothing

totaling 93 dollars which is equivalent

to around 135

today after being taken back to the

police station she will be fined 150

for the theft given 40 hours of

community service as well as being put

on a six-month probation

period on top of this she had to carry

an offender identification card while

also attending an anti-shoplifting

program however here's where it gets

interesting rather than simply showing

up and doing her 40 hours of community

service

she sat around and did nothing luanne

didn't report to her community

supervisor

didn't pay the fees she was supposed to

pay and didn't even show up to any of

the community service when scheduled

for this reason she would be arrested

again and instead of 150

fine and a slap on the wrist she'll be

sentenced to two months in the houston

harris county jail she will remain in

jail for 30 days after which she'll be

released and from the information

available managed to stay out of jail

from that point onwards

now making a judgment about an

individual's character based on what

they did at the age of 18 is perhaps a

little unfair

people change a lot in 18 years so her

going to jail could be totally

discountable but at the same time i

think it'd be unwise to pass off

altogether as all she was just

young and dumb it's not exactly like she

was 13 years old stealing some food

because she needed to eat and didn't

have any money she was 18 years old and

going out of her way to steal expensive

clothing

something that's more of a luxury than a

necessity then as mentioned she would go

on to double down on her mistake by

failing to comply with the consequences

she just ignored them giving us an

insight into her character at a younger

age

perhaps this is a far-fetched assumption

but maybe we could also say that it

showed us she had an innate willingness

to cut corners in order to get what she

wants which will be an important factor

for later parts in the video

after this whole prison saga was over

and done with luanne would meet her

future husband cheyenne with whom she

would later have her first son ryan in

october 2011.

in march 2015 at the age of only three

and a half ryan asked his mum how come

i'm not on youtube when all the other

kids are i was watching other

people and i was like why am i not on

there

following this statement ryan's parents

would create the ryan toys review

channel and begin making the videos with

him shortly thereafter

let's go get it then you want it uh-huh

okay put in the car

in july 2015 only four months after

creating the channel they would see

their first piece of viral success with

their video

giant lightning mcqueen egg surprise

[Music]

which gained 20 million views after only

one month following this success the

channel began posting new videos daily

and while this was great for the growth

of the channel it began the discussion

about whether the channel was really in

the best interest of ryan or was a

borderline abuse to have the child doing

so much work with the money ultimately

going to the parents

there's always been a question of ethics

in any discussion relating to kids

channels on youtube

what are the labor laws about putting

your kids in videos like

what how do you quantify the value that

they're bringing to the content

are there is that value going back to

them but is the criticism towards

pre-teens making more than a million

dollars a year on the youtube platform

just pure jealousy from other people who

might be in their 40s making 60 grand a

year or is there a legitimate case for

concern

it's an extremely difficult topic to

determine for a few main reasons

firstly there'd be channels where the

child being the main star legitimately

wants to be a part of the show

which is apparently the case with ryan

what was special is that he wanted his

own youtube channel

and you have a lot of parents who like

come on pushing their kids out there

however there are other channels on

which you can tell the kids clearly

don't want to be involved in the videos

and the parents are forcing them to

appear in order to gain ad revenue

so in order to determine whether ryan

being involved in the videos is a part

of the channel's

dark side we have to first determine a

few different things

is it voluntary involvement is he being

held at gunpoint to perform does he have

to deal with the difficult parts of the

channel like editing criticism and

innovation how much of the spoils and

rewards actually go to ryan in the

present and future

we see comment after comment talking

about how they are exploiting him which

would be awful if true but simply having

him appearing in the videos isn't really

exploitation we need to ask more

questions now the first thing we have to

establish here in order to determine

whether ryan's appearance is

a part of the dark side of the channel

is whether or not ryan is being forced

to appear in the videos now ryan stated

that the channel was birthed because he

personally wanted to be on youtube and

it wasn't because his parents forced him

however it's also important to question

this statement with a healthy level of

skepticism ryan was only three and a

half when he was first put on the

platform it's hard to believe that any

kid of that age would already be keen to

personally appear on any kind of public

platform but i could be completely wrong

with that as shown in the same video the

number one most desired job for kids

aged 8-12 is youtube star followed by

teacher professional athlete musician

and astronaut however if you did a study

on the most desired jobs for kids aged

0-4

they probably wouldn't have an

understanding about the concept of

working a job

for this reason i'd make the assumption

that the idea for the channel was more

than likely from ryan's mom

and the story of ryan just seeing other

kids on youtube and wanting to be a part

of it as well

is an over-embellished statement to go

along with the channel's lighthearted

branding

however while this somewhat answers

whose idea it was for the creation of

the channel in the first place it fails

to answer the more important question

is ryan being forced to appear in the

videos in the beginning perhaps there

was a trade-off between ryan and his mum

where if ryan's mum got to film ryan in

the videos ryan would be able to get as

many toys as he wanted

a deal that makes sense for both parties

involved you can clearly see in the

beginning that ryan

isn't being forced to appear in the

videos kids aren't very good at hiding

their emotions especially

three-year-olds

if they're sad they'll show it if

they're happy they'll show it why do you

want this

because i like it oh does it is it fun

does it look fun

ryan is clearly happy to be on camera

here and i don't see anything sinister

going on in the beginning except for the

fact that maybe ryan's mum is using the

toys in order to get a nice reaction out

of ryan but as time has progressed and

ryan now has a lifetime supply of toys

using toys as a reward isn't really

going to be all that interesting to him

anymore

especially considering he's getting

older which makes me think that unless

there's some kind of other incentive for

him the only other way to get him to

constantly appear on camera is with a

bit of force if we combine this with the

fact that their channel has somewhat of

a schedule and uploads almost daily we

can almost be certain that there are

days where ryan doesn't feel like making

the content and would have to be

somewhat forced by his parents in order

to appear in the videos which would be

an element of the channel's dark side

however i could be wrong with this once

again and here's why firstly because

as previously mentioned even a nine year

old isn't very good at hiding their

emotions if he wasn't willing to appear

in the videos you'd be able to tell

straight away

secondly ryan doesn't actually have a

very big role on the channel in terms of

workload he's the host and the face of

the channel but compared to the rest of

the work required those are probably the

easiest jobs a lot of these comments

that state that the parents are

exploiting the sun for views must think

that this kid is working 15 hours every

single day being whipped by the parents

in order to get out tomorrow's video but

i would totally

disagree with that he's not going to be

doing any editing he's not going to have

to worry about scripting he's not going

to be dealing with sponsors he's not

going to be constantly innovating with

new ideas he's not going to be dealing

with sets all of the hard work is being

done by ryan's parents and their team

behind the scene it's a lot more work

than somebody might think

it is very time consuming i would do all

the editing after ryan goes to bed so i

would stay up several hours

assuming all of the back work is done by

the parents each of these videos could

probably be filmed within the space of

an

hour on top of this there are videos

where ryan literally has three lines

with the rest of the video being taken

over by an adult talking in a kid's

voice

ryan's total quote-unquote work week is

probably like

10 hours max which isn't exactly all

that bad especially when considering how

much the channel is earning which brings

us to the question of finances

revenue is being generated because these

children are creating content where does

that money go

is it parents that are keeping that or

is it one of the often perceived dark

sides of the ryan's world channel is

that the parents are pocketing all the

money i hope when ryan's 21 he gets to

sue his parents for not sharing any

money with him

now the level of idiocracy within this

comment is immeasurable firstly because

i've had a good look and there's

absolutely no sources pointing to how

much ryan receives for his contribution

so first things first we don't even know

how much of the revenue ryan is

receiving for his portion of the work

however let's make some assumptions

let's assume that maybe

five percent of all profits go back to

ryan for him to use at an older age

and that's probably an extremely

conservative estimate assuming the

channel

made 29 million in 2020 that's still 1.5

million dollars for approximately 10

hours of work per week

available for ryan to use at a later

date and if that's the case i can't

really see how that's such a negative

he'll never have to work a crappy first

job that he hates he'll never have to

take out a loan just to go to college

even if only

one percent of the profit goes to ryan

that's still three hundred thousand

dollars a year in his name

at the age of nine and while as long as

ryan is being paid enough to set him up

for life

it's hard to see any problems there

however a problem might raise when you

examine how the money is being earned

another element that's been associated

with the dark side of the channel

in september 2019 a complaint was filed

to the federal trade commission

claiming that the sponsor videos feel

too authentic and cannot be

distinguished from unsponsored content

at the time it was revealed that around

90 of ryan's world's videos contained

sponsored content all of which being

targeted to pre-schools who were too

young to distinguish between a sponsored

video and a review

ryan's parents responded by saying that

the well-being of our viewers is always

a top priority for us we strictly follow

all platforms terms of service and all

existing laws and regulations

including advertising disclosure

statements and i guess this one as a

whole is just

another question of ethics to what

extent should they reveal to their

audience that what they're watching is

sponsored will it even make a difference

considering it's stated that kids

younger than the age of 8 or 9 cannot

recognize advertising within media many

reviews of the ryan's world channel

state that the content

targets your toddlers like cigarette

companies should advertising be

disallowed within the videos altogether

what incentive would ryan's world have

to continue making content if they

completely removed sponsors

a natural element of the channel's dark

side is that in order for the creation

of the content to be worth it they kind

of have to advertise to kids and if

parents want to distract their kids with

youtube content they have to bear the

brunt of having their kids advertised to

all in all i think this might be one

where you guys have to draw your own

conclusion as to the shade of black that

permeates the dark side of the ryan's

world channel

is ryan being exploited for the

financial gain of his parents or is it

reasonable as long as he's receiving a

cut of the pie

is it ethical to continue sponsorships

to an audience too young to understand

that they're being advertised to

does the criminal history of luanne

kadgy make an impact on how the channel

is run today it'd be safe

to say that their practices aren't

perfect but hey for the many parents out

there that appreciate his ability to

stop their child from crying

ryan's world has its place on the

platform perfect practices or not