The inuence of YouTubers on children (8-12 years old): current issues and brandsLa inuencia de los youtubers en los niños (8-12 años): actualidad y marcas doxa.comunicación | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | 321January-June of 2023ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978How to cite this article: Pinto, B.; Duarte, A. and Dias, P. (2023). e inuence of YouTubers on children (8-12 years old): current issues and brands. Doxa Comunicación, 36, pp. 321-340. https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n36a1638Beatriz Pinto. She holds a BA in Public Relations and Corporate Communication by Escola Superior de Comunicação Social of Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, and a Master in Communication Scientes by the School of Human Sciences of Universidade Católica Portuguesa. She collaborates as junior researcher at CECC - Research Center in Communication and Culture, also at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Her research interests are within the scope of digital marketing. Beatriz currently works as a marketeer at Jerónimo Martins Group. Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal132219020@alunos.lisboa.ucp.ptORCID: 0000-0002-0730-8062Alexandre Duarte. PhD in Communication Sciences from University of Minho, a Masters degree in Communication & Image and a degree in Marketing & Advertising by IADE, Alexandre Duarte is the coordinator of various courses in IADE, visiting Professor in several Universities, developer of the Research Unit CECS from Univ. Minho, and Course Coordinator of OFICINA de PORTFOLIO™. Alexandre have worked in several multinational advertising agencies, in Portugal and Brazil, such as TBWA, Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy, W/Portugal, W/Brazil, Lowe&Partners, or BrandiaCentral as a Senior Creative Copywriter. In 2012, was nominated Tutor of the EUROBEST Young Marketers Academy and, in 2013, was elected member of the Directors Board of EDCOM - European Institute for Commercial Communications Education. In the beginning of 2014, was appointed CEO of RESTART, an Institute of Creativity, Arts and New Technologies and in 2018 was invited to teach in the Communication Sciences Master and the Post-Graduation of Social Brands of Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Currently, is also Coordinator of the Service Design CourseUniversidade do Minho - CECS, Portugalalexdarte@me.comORCID: 0000-0002-2665-864XPatrícia Dias. PhD in Communication Sciences by Universidade Católica Portuguesa, coordinates the post-graduaste course Social Brands - Communication and Marketing in a Digital Environment. In 2019 was a visiting researcher at the Arctic University of Norway. Researcher at CECC and CRC-W, currently coordinates the project “0-3 DigiKids - Use of Touchscreen Devices by Children up to 3 years old” and leads the Portuguese team of the project “Use of Digital Technologies by Children and Teenagers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Europe” coordinated by the JRC-European Commission. Her main research interests are the use of digital media by children and also within organizational com-munication, marketing and branding. She is author of several publications about the social impact of digital media and the use of smartphones.Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugalpdias@ucp.ptORCID: 0000-0001-7948-4439

[Enlace de URL / hc (has AS)]

[Enlace de URL / hc (has AS)]

[Enlace de URL / hc (has AS)]

[Enlace de URL / hc (has AS)]

[Enlace de URL / hc (has AS)]

[Enlace de URL / hc (has AS)]

[Enlace de URL / hc (has AS)]


322 | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | January-June of 2023The Inuence of YouTubers on children (8-12 years old): current issues and brandsISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicación1. e role of YouTube in the lives of children 1.1. e digital practices of children e rise of the internet and the massive consumption of audiovisual media allows anyone to choose specic content but also when and where they want to see it. Although following news is not a common habit for the youngest generations, recent research shows that social media, compared to other sources, gives them a greater sense of exibility and control over the information, even if there is no clear indication of the perception of the news credibility (García Jiménez et al., 2018). According to Tur-Viñes et al. (2018, p. 1212), YouTube has 1000 million users from 88 countries and is used by 95% of all internet users. e universal popularity among the youngest makes YouTube the leader in viewing habits among children between 6 and 12 years old in Europe and the United States, with 96% admitting to knowing about its existence and more than 80% assuming its daily use (Izci, 2019). In fact, to children, watching videos on YouTube is one of their main entertaining activities. Neumann and Abstract:YouTubers have become a worldwide popularity phenomenon, and the ever-more time spent at home helped further amplify its status and relevance, especially with children. e increasing access to broadband internet, the easy and intuitive way of using it, the full control over what they want to see, the proximity to the public and the capacity to surprise and innovate are some of the motifs that make YouTubers so attractive to the youngsters. Using a qualitative methodology carried out in two sequential data collection phases, rst with children and then with Youtubers, the authors aimed to answer the following research question: “How inuential are YouTubers in shaping the opinions of 8-12 year-olds on topical issues?” is investigation concluded that children have YouTubers as role models, consider their content a reliable source of information and admit to having changed the way they think because of them. Although Youtubers’ inuence diminishes as children grow, this study proved that they tend to adopt the views and perspectives shared by YouTubers. On the other hand, it is also an opportunity for children to learn and be aware of important topics from an early age in a more accessible and interesting way.Keywords: YouTube; digital inuencers; children aged 8 to 12 years; inuence marketing; current issues; brands.Resumen: Los YouTubers se han convertido en un fenómeno de popularidad mun-dial, y el hecho de pasar cada vez más tiempo en casa ha contribuido a amplicar aún más su estatus y relevancia, especialmente entre los niños. El creciente acceso a Internet de banda ancha, la forma fácil e intuitiva de utilizarlo, el control total sobre lo que quieren ver, la cercanía al público y la capacidad de sorprender e innovar son algunos de los motivos que ha-cen que los YouTubers sean tan atractivos para los más jóvenes. A través de una metodología cualitativa llevada a cabo en dos fases secuenciales de recogida de datos, primero con niños y después con Youtubers, los auto-res pretendían responder a la siguiente pregunta de investigación: “¿Qué inuencia tienen los YouTubers en la formación de las opiniones de los ni-ños de 8 a 12 años sobre temas de actualidad?”. Esta investigación conclu-yó que los niños tienen a los YouTubers como modelos a seguir, consideran sus contenidos como una fuente de información able y admiten haber cambiado su forma de pensar gracias a ellos. Aunque la inuencia de los Youtubers disminuye a medida que los niños crecen, este estudio demostró que tienden a adoptar los puntos de vista y las perspectivas compartidas por los YouTubers. Por otro lado, también es una oportunidad para que los niños aprendan y conozcan temas importantes desde una edad tem-prana de una forma más accesible e interesante.Palabras clave:YouTube; prescriptores digitales; niños de 8 a 12 años; marketing de in-uencia; temas de actualidad; marcas.Received: 28/03/2022 - Accepted: 07/06/2022 - Early access: 30/09/2022 - Published: 01/01/2023Recibido: 28/03/2022 - Aceptado: 07/06/2022 - En edición: 30/09/2022 - Publicado: 01/01/2023
doxa.comunicación | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | January-June of 2023Beatriz Pinto, Alexandre Duarte and Patrícia Dias ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978323Herodotou (2020) stated that 75% of children between 8 and 11 years old spend 10 hours a week watching YouTube videos, and 27% follow YouTubers. Young people use digital technologies to express themselves, collaborate, show themselves, share their creations, meet new people, entertain, study and be aware of everything related to their own interests (Tur-Viñes et al., 2018). Acknowledging its impact on children, the platform, allegedly to guarantee their safety and protection from inappropriate content, gave parents the ability to control what their children see, and created a special categorization to identify exclusive videos for children, with the reference “Made for Kids”, and even a specic application called “YouTube Kids”. Nevertheless, as Elias and Sulkin (2017) reported, many prefer to access the regular channel without lters.Children are attracted to YouTube for several reasons, such as entertainment, fun, information (in smaller numbers), feeling a connection with someone (often the YouTubers), exploring their own hobbies, and nding videos about their oine interests. However, many reported that they had already watched videos about things they would not do in real life (Ofcom, 2019). 1.2. Children, YouTube and YouTuberse interactive capacity of digital media allowed users to become also content producers, with the ability to reach a huge number of people, inuencing their thoughts and behaviours. Due to its characteristics, YouTube has become one of the preferred places for some people to nd fame (and sometimes fortune). Known as “YouTubers”, these creators produce and share videos able to inuence the opinions and behaviours of other users, and it has become so popular that being a YouTuber is one of the 10 preferred professions for Spanish youngsters (Tur-Viñes et al., 2019). According to Arnold (2017), YouTubers establish a connection with their followers through deep bonds and by creating real communities. YouTube channels provide a more intimate relationship and an artistic and creative environment that allows a deeper connection between the creators and the followers (Chau, 2010). is way, a popular YouTuber can promote himself, his ideas, opinions, talents, services and products (Chatzopoulou et al., 2010). is activity has become professionalized, and its monetization is aorded by diverse strategies of inuence marketing involving partnerships between inuencers, digital platforms, and brands, many of which are particularly tailored to children and adolescents (Nuñez-Gómez et al., 2020). In fact, social media engagement and user-generated content consumption signicantly increase brand preference and loyalty, with inuence marketing playing a big role in this process (Nuñez-Gómez, Sánchez-Herrera & Pintado-Blanco, 2020). is feeling of a close relationship with the Youtubers gives the followers a sensation of trust that is much stronger and more recognized than advertising (Westenberg, 2016). at is especially relevant in the case of children due to their underdeveloped advertising literacy and consequent vulnerability to these marketing practices, which often aects their attitudes and behaviours once these inuencers are seen as credible and authentic, without any commercial interests (De Veirman et al., 2019).Westenberg (2016) found that youngsters felt interested in dierent topics addressed by the YouTubers, and many times they seemed more interested in personal aspects of their lives rather than in the content itself. Also, children tend to see the YouTubers as a source of advice and guidance, as some talk about personal experiences and make suggestions about life behaviour to their followers (Ofcom, 2019).
324 | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | January-June of 2023The Inuence of YouTubers on children (8-12 years old): current issues and brandsISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónChildren learn from an early age, and in dierent ways, fundamental values for their education, such as civic and moral principles, with the observation and reproduction of model attitudes being one of the most ecient (Yaşaroşlu, 2020). Individuals tend mostly to adopt behaviours, beliefs, and attitudes of people they like or identify with (Bandura, 1988), so the probability of doing so with YouTubers is very high (Bentley et al., 2011). In this process of identication with celebrities/idols/references, this inuence may be positive (healthy life tips, sustainable behaviours, among others). However, it may also be negative (inappropriate language or behaviours, among others), and, in this way, children can take risks (Van Dam and Van Reijmersdal, 2019).For this reason, YouTubers should pay special attention to how they respond and interact with children, particularly when dealing with sensitive topics, such as drug or alcohol use, religion, sexuality, or politics (Westenberg, 2016).As we have seen, searching for content that allows them to acquire information and expand specic knowledge to form their own opinion is one reason children watch YouTube videos (Ofcom, 2019). Nevertheless, there is another type of unintentional learning called accidental learning. In this case, knowledge acquisition arises unplanned and often because of another activity (Watkins & Marsik, 2018). Youtube thus oers an environment conducive to accidental learning (Dyosi and Hattingh, 2018), so children are potential targets of its consequences, particularly on sensitive topics.According to Hugger et al. (2019), the credibility children attribute to the content of these videos seems to be strongly related to their perception of the authenticity of the YouTubers who create them. Children indicate that they use television news, perceived as more objective and reliable, to assess the credibility and value of YouTube videos that address relevant issues to society (Zimmerman et al., 2020).Another interesting point is that, although many children indicate that they are aware of the persuasive intent of the messages shared by YouTubers, they continue to highly value the information they disclose (Coates et al., 2019). is fact is perhaps due to the so-called “ird-Person Eect”, which argues that people believe that the media have a greater impact on others than on themselves (Banning and Sweetser, 2007) and whose perspective may have real consequences on the individual’s own behaviour (Brosius and Engel, 1996).2. Methodology2.1. Research questionse research aims to explore the inuence YouTubers have in children’s opinion-forming process about the reality surrounding them, so the study focuses on social and political issues. erefore, the following research question was formulated: “ How inuential are YouTubers in shaping the opinions of 8-12 year-olds on topical issues?”. Some secondary questions were also dened to assist the development of the study: Q1: Do children use YouTube to get information about the world around them? Q2: Is the opinion of YouTubers important for children to consider a topic relevant? 
doxa.comunicación | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | January-June of 2023Beatriz Pinto, Alexandre Duarte and Patrícia Dias ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978325Q3: Is the opinion of YouTubers important for children to form their own opinion on a current topic? Q4: Do children think the information shared by YouTubers is credible? Q5: Do children develop more abilities to understand inuencer marketing as they grow? Q6: Does YouTubers’ inuence diminish as children grow?2.2. Research Designe investigation adopts a qualitative methodology. Qualitative research is especially important for studying behavioural sciences, where the aim is to discover the underlying motives of human behaviour. e central assumption of this approach is to analyze the various factors that motivate individuals to behave in a certain way or that make them like or dislike something (Kothari, 2004). is methodology allows for exploring various dimensions of the social world, including aspects of everyday life, knowledge, experiences, and beliefs of the participants, thus obtaining more complex data that can be explored in greater depth (Mason, 2017).e study was carried out in two sequential data collection phases. In the rst stage, data were collected from children and in the second stage, data were collected from YouTubers. e collection of data from two samples allows the triangulation of the data and a closer approximation to the phenomenon under study. Studies are independent. e results of the rst were not used to dene the second but were carried out in sequence due to the availability of researchers.2.3. Sampling techniquesIn the rst phase, a non-probabilistic convenience sample composed of 20 children who were YouTube users was used. e elements of the sample are female and male and fall into the age group between 8 and 12 because it is pertinent that they are at dierent stages of cognitive and social development, that they have dierent preferences as YouTube consumers and that they can already answer the questions. Furthermore, to ensure diversity among the group, the participants reside in dierent regions of Portugal and are of dierent socio-economic classes.e rst approached elements were selected through the researchers’ network of contacts (Vehovar et al., 2016) and, subsequently, due to the need to obtain a larger number of data and to avoid the emergence of saturated data, snowball sampling was used, so after each interview, the parents were asked to indicate other possible participants (Taherdoost, 2016). Since the sample is composed of children, it was necessary to establish the rst contact with their parents, initially by telephone. Afterwards, those who showed interest in allowing their children to participate were contacted via email, which contained the video call link, and the authorization to carry out the interview. Table 1 presents details about our sample of children. 
326 | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | January-June of 2023The Inuence of YouTubers on children (8-12 years old): current issues and brandsISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónTable 1: Characterization of our sample of childrenParticipantAgeGenderZone of residenceSocioeconomic StatusChild 112 FemaleLisboaC2Child 212 FemaleLisboaC2Child 312 MaleLisboaC1Child 412 MaleLisboaC1Child 511 FemaleLisboaBChild 611 FemaleMafraC1Child 711 MaleLisboaC1Child 811 MaleSesimbraBChild 910 FemaleLisboaBChild 1010 FemaleCascaisAChild 1110 MaleSantarémC1Child 1210 MaleAlmadaBChild 139 FemaleVila Franca de XiraC1Child 149 FemaleOeirasBChild 159 MaleVendas NovasC1Child 169 MaleGrândolaBChild 178 FemaleOeirasC2Child 188 FemaleBelémBChild 198 MaleOeirasC1Child 208 MaleLisboaASource: created by the authorsen, an intentional non-probabilistic sampling of 5 YouTubers was used to carry out the second stage. After analyzing the children’s interviews, the YouTubers most mentioned in the responses were identied, so for rst contact, YouTubers of Portuguese and Brazilian nationality were selected with channels of dierent dimensions and themes. However, only 2 showed availability, so the researchers selected the 3 more popular YouTubers among Portuguese children to know their perspectives on the topic and the feedback they receive daily on their channel from children. e contact to verify the interest and availability of YouTubers was made via email, sent to the person or the agency that represents them, or a message on social networks. Table 1 presents details about our sample of YouTubers. 
doxa.comunicación | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | January-June of 2023Beatriz Pinto, Alexandre Duarte and Patrícia Dias ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978327Table 2: Characterization of the sample of YouTubersNameYouTube ChannelAgeNationalitySubscribersChannelBeatriz Freitas-BrancoBeatriz Freitas-Branco23 Portuguese12.000LifestyleGabriel and Vinicius ScribelIrmãos Scribel18 Brazilians1.32 millionVlogs and ChallengesMargarida AntunesMargarida Antunes19 Portuguese46.300 LifestyleRicardo FazeresRicFazeres42 Portuguese963.100GamingRita Serrais is Ri23 Portuguese533.100FashionSource: created by the authors2.4. Data collection techniquesRegarding the rst phase, as a data collection technique, a semi-structured interview was chosen (Creswell, 2009), for which a script was prepared with basic questions, previously tested with 2 children. e researchers only guided the conversation towards the central topic whenever the interviewee moved away from it and asked questions about topics that the interviewee could not reach on their own, always doing so at the most appropriate time and in the most natural way possible (Quivy and Campenhoudt, 1992).Before the interview, an authorization was sent, which explained to the parents the purpose of the investigation, what the children’s participation would imply, which ensured their anonymity and that the data would be used only for scientic purposes. Before the interview, the project was explained to the children. ey were also verbally asked for their consent and willingness to participate in the conversation. Considering the public health crisis caused by the new Coronavirus (COVID-19), the interviews took place via video call, lasted, on average, 18 minutes, and were recorded in audio format.e interview process took place in 3 stages: (1) presentation of the investigation’s purpose and request for verbal consent from the participant; (2) asking open questions about the use of YouTube and their relationship with YouTubers, (3) thanking the interviewee and their parents for their availability and referencing another child who could answer the questions. e interview script included three main topics: 1) YouTube use and their relationship with YouTubers; 2) satisfaction of cognitive needs with YouTube; and 3) inuencer marketing and advertising literacy. In the case of the interview carried out with the YouTubers, since most of the answers were sent via email, in writing or in audio format, it was decided to prepare a script for a structured interview, for which the questions were previously formulated in the most proper order, ensuring a uniform set of questions for all respondents. However, the language was always adapted to the interviewees’ age and the type of channel concerned (Quivy and Campenhoudt, 1992). e process of interviews with YouTubers was not always the same, as, after the rst contact, the personalities who agreed to participate chose dierent means of collecting data. e interview script included four main topics: 1) characterization of the younger audience of their YouTube channel; 2)
328 | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | January-June of 2023The Inuence of YouTubers on children (8-12 years old): current issues and brandsISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónperception of inuence on their younger followers; 3) their role in disseminating current issues, and 4) inuencer marketing and children’s advertising literacy. 2.5. Data analysis techniqueAll interviews were fully transcribed in individual Word documents, considering pauses and expressions of emotions (such as laughter and interjections). In the case of children, the participants were anonymized. For this purpose, any personal data that could identify the children or other elements then YouTube personalities was deleted. us the children were numbered and, throughout the study, were identied by their respective numbers, followed by gender and age.After reading all the interviews, synopses of the responses were prepared to allow greater visibility of the data in its entirety. en, the data analysis was carried out by themes, following the structure of the interview script, and as the data were presented, quotes from the participants’ answers were included, illustrating the results.3. Findings and discussion 3.1. Do children use YouTube to get about the world around them? e digital practices of our sample are consistent with what has been described in the literature about the topic, specically regarding YouTube (Dingli & Seychell, 2015). Despite the minimum age for using YouTube is 13 years old, all the interviewed children are YouTube users, and 12 have their own accounts, consistently with what Araújo et al. (2017) found. ey dedicate time to this activity in the evenings and a bit more during weekends. at is mostly an individual activity (Livingstone et al., 2017), as Child 4 (M, 12 years old): “I use YouTube a lot. I use it more in the evening when I am in my room, and I usually watch the videos alone. I watch a lot, and during weekends and holidays I have more time to do it”.ey mostly seek entertainment and prefer fun, inspiring, or relaxing content, using this media activity as a way of evasion (Chiang et al., 2015). at also applies to YouTubers, as Child 18 (F, 8 years old) explains: “I follow YouTubers who make me laugh and have fun, but that are inspiring and help me be creative with their ideas”. Preferences are quite gendered, with girls preferring music and boys gaming and sports (Ponte & Batista, 2019), but they all follow YouTubers and enjoy their user-generated content (UGC). Besides the entertainment aspect, YouTube is identied by children as one of the main tools used for searches, as well as Google (Hassinger-Das et al., 2020; Zimmermann et al., 2020). ey usually search for topics about their interests to clarify specic doubts or curiosities. When specically questioned about the possibility of learning from YouTuber content, all the interviewed children agreed that they learn from YouTubers, which is consistent with previous research (Chiang et al., 2015; Lewis, 2020; Zimmermann et al., 2020) - Child 20 (M, 8 years old) says “We learn from them [YouTubers]. ey teach new things”; and specically about current issues (Lee & Blasco-Arcas, 2020).
doxa.comunicación | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | January-June of 2023Beatriz Pinto, Alexandre Duarte and Patrícia Dias ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978329Most interviewed children declared that the YouTubers they follow had addressed current issues, such as environmental problems, Covid-19, bullying, eating healthy, animal rights, violence, homosexuality, and politics. For example, Child 19 (M, 8 years old) states: “I have seen YouTubers saying it is important to follow Covid rules. I have watched videos in which they talk about pollution and recycling. I have seen others talking about bullying, telling their story”. Younger children highlight protecting the environment, mentioning specic topics such as recycling, pollution and protecting sea animals. ey highlight the “life lesson” format, in which YouTubers share personal experiences about how they dealt with some of these issues, motivating children to follow their advice: Child 2 (F, 12 years old): “in some videos, they tell us that they were victims of bullying. ey tell us what happened to them or give their opinion about this topic and say we shouldn’t judge others without getting to know them. ey share ‘life lessons’ because they know more about life than we do; we are younger”. As found in previous research (Zimmermann et al., 2020), most children inadvertently come across videos on current issues rather than as a result of active search, and thus accidental learning occurs (Lange, 2019; Marsick & Watkins, 2018). Child 18 (M, 8 years old) says: “I don’t usually search about those topics, I am watching a video, and they [YouTubers] happen to mention it”. is concept includes visualising videos and reading comments or engaging in online discussions. e interviewed children revealed that they do not usually engage in online interaction on YouTube, but, as Vermeulen, Vandebosch and Heirman (2018) also found, they often discuss online content with their peers, as they usually have the same preferences and follow the same inuencers. Child 11 (M, 10 years old) conrms it “Yes, I talk about the videos mostly with my friends because they always watch the same ones I do”. at reinforces their sense of belonging to peer groups (Chiang et al., 2019). is point is in line with the YouTubers’ answers, which reveal that, although they try to promote a space for debating ideas when these themes appear in their videos, they do not usually do full content on current issues. Instead, they try to give their opinion when a topic directly relates to their daily lives or when something in the video refers to a specic current issue. Beatriz Freitas-Branco (lifestyle) and RicFazeres (gaming) explain that they prefer addressing current issues in their regular videos, if and when it makes sense, instead of making specic videos about a specic topic. ey believe that children pay more attention when they address the topics indirectly and when relevant. us, it is noticeable that children use YouTube, particularly YouTubers videos, to keep updated, although they do not always obtain information intentionally.3.2. Do children think the information shared by YouTubers is credible? Children have a very positive opinion of YouTubers (Jerslev, 2016; Pérez-Torres et al., 2018). ey believe they create digital content because they want to entertain their followers and help them learn, thus being guided by altruistic motivations. As Child 6 (F, 11 years old) describes: “ey are people who make videos for fun and because they like to entertain”. Some children understand that YouTubers may earn money with their videos, but they cannot describe how, thus displaying shortcomings in advertising literacy (Westenberg, 2016).Children enjoy the content YouTubers create, but when asked why they follow specic YouTubers, they are unanimous in explaining that it is because they identify with their personalities. at explains that they consume the videos released by their favourite YouTubers regularly, regardless of the type of content. For example, Child 13 (F, 9 years old) adds, “I watch the videos because of the
330 | nº 36, pp. 321-340 | January-June of 2023The Inuence of YouTubers on children (8-12 years old): current issues and brandsISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónperson. I watch everything that Mafalda Creative posts”. De Veirman et al. (2019) dened a parasocial relationship as a unilateral personal relationship established with a mediatic personality. On YouTube, that is reinforced by the publications’ frequency and the intimacy in the content, often lmed from home or even the bedroom, showing daily routines. e children identify with the YouTubers, feel close to them, and admire them, often as role models. Child 15 (M, 9 years old) gives us an example: “I know them well. ey tell stu about their lives, not a lot, but some stu. So, if you follow them for a while, you start to get to know them. ey do cool stu, and I try to do the same”. is aspect reveals that children’s credibility in this type of video is related to their perception of the YouTubers’ authenticity and not to their critical thinking.We found a few contradictions regarding the credibility that children ascribe to YouTubers. On the one hand, they associate a more serious tone that they tend to use when addressing current issues with higher credibility. Child 13 (F, 9 years old): “I think that when they talk about topics that are not fun or play, they talk in a more serious way so that we realize it is important”, but on the other hand, they enjoy when YouTubers can address important topics in a light and fun way that helps them understand better. Child 20 (M, 8 years old): “ey talk in a more serious way, but they are still fun. It’s good that they talk more seriously but still make the videos fun so that we enjoy watching them and understand what they are saying”. Most children are aware that there is false information circulating online. However, they have this notion due to warnings from their parents, but they manifest diculties in identifying untrustworthy or even false content. Child 6 (F, 11 years old) admits: “I think that some of them don’t always tell the truth, but I can’t gure out when they say things that are not true”. ey state trusting the content YouTubers they “know well”, meaning that they have been following them for a while and identify with produce, as is the case of Child 5 (M, 11 years old): I” don’t believe those [YouTubers] that I don’t know. I believe the ones I know well”. us, the parasocial relationship that children develop towards YouTubers, based on intimacy and resemblance (De Veirman et al., 2019), is key for the development of trust and for them to consider their messages authentic (Huggers et al., 2019), particularly when they address serious matters (Lou & Yuan, 2019).Additionally, Child 6 (F, 11 years old) explains how YouTubers are role models, and she believes they have the best interest of their followers at heart: “I usually agree with them because they have an important opinion to give. Some are examples we should follow because they know what they are saying. ey are kind to their followers, our friends, and they try to help us better understand important topics”, thus perceiving them as authentic (Hudders et al., 2019). Among the older children, we spotted what Davison (1983) described as the “third-person eect”. at means these children state they used to be more inuenced by YouTubers when they were younger and consider that other children are easily inuenced, but not them. us, they may underestimate or fail to acknowledge the inuence of YouTubers on themselves. For example, Child 1 (F, 12 years old) explains: “Now, I am more aware that some of the things they say are not totally true, so whenever I have doubts, I search more about that topic”.us, it is concluded that, although children consider that they do not always believe in what YouTubers explain in their videos, it is noticeable that, in practice, they attribute high credibility to the content their favourite YouTubers produce.
doxa.comunicación | nº 36, pp. 321-340 |