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  • Here’s How YouTubers and Streamers Make Money

    Here’s How YouTubers and Streamers Make Money

    The top earners from YouTube have been released in an article from Forbes and on the top of the playlist is a seven year old boy who opens and plays with toys on his channel. Ryan Toysreview features short videos that include product unpacking, play, challenges, and of course, seven year old Ryan. His videos each have view counts in the millions and that has amassed an estimated 21 million dollars to him during the past year. Ryan and his family aren’t the only content creators creating million dollar companies out of their videos. The top ten list includes vloggers, make up artists, and gamers, all who post weekly to daily videos and rack up millions of views on each one.

    When I speak to parents about the kind of money gamers and other content creators can make on YouTube and Twitch I see their eyes open wide with wonder. They have no clue how doing something like gaming or unpacking toys can result in millions of views, much less millions of dollars. There are several ways that online content creators make money, some are fairly conventional and some may surprise you. Here’s a quick breakdown for those of you who can’t imagine making internet videos as a career choice.

    Traditional Advertising

    Pretty much all YouTubers “monetize” their videos. This means that they allow YouTube to put ads into their content and then get paid a little bitty bit every time someone sees a video or clicks on an ad banner. The rules and settings for this form of advertising is always changing and can often be frustrating to deal with. For instance, if your videos contain any content that belongs to someone else, the YouTube algorithm can sometimes flag your content as “demonetized.” That means, while your fans will see your videos, you won’t be able to make any direct ad income from it. Or, in some rare circumstances, you will have to share ad income. Below is a video that I made with my family a couple of years ago, it is a parody of a song by One Direction. Since the music is copyrighted, my video was demonetized even though the lyrics were all changed to fit our family parody.

    Product Placement/Sponsorships

    These regulations can be a pain for some content creators and so they choose to use other methods of advertising. Product placement and sponsorships are becoming some of the leading examples. There are many ways YouTubers and streamers can make their content fit with sponsorship deals. Channels that feature trick shots and other sports topics will be sponsored by active wear companies or stores that sell sports equipment. Our channels and blog are affiliated with sites and software that help parents with accountability monitoring and filtering.

    Sometimes these sponsorships are soft or quiet which means they just have the equipment or products in their videos without much mention other than maybe in the video description. Mostly, though, you’ll see content that is made as a special sponsorship video or series and many times they’ll be labeled as “sponsored” by the creators. This is very common in unboxing or gaming videos where the creator is opening toys that were sent to them for free (maybe also with some form of financial payment) to highlight that toy or gamers are playing and doing commentary on a game that they got access to a week before release to build hype for the upcoming sales of the game. Our article and video featuring Botley was one that we were able to do because the company sent us the coding robot to play with and write about.

    Direct Viewer Support

    Finally, we come to direct viewer support. This method is indicative of the time we live in where people are drawn towards benevolence and away from fees and subscription pricing. People also prefer not to have products pushed on them in a non relevant way like commercials on TV or even in-line ads during a YouTube or Facebook video. This direct viewer support is a way for those who enjoy a creator’s content to literally give back to that creator and support them in their effort to make their videos full time. Gamers will stream live on Twitch.tv for six to eight hours several days a week and their viewers will reward them with small donations of a buck, five dollars, or more just to have their screen names read live on the stream. Creators will thank their supporters with mentions called “shout outs” during or at the end of their videos. There are content creators that make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year just on their viewer support alone.

    There aren’t many creators who only use one method of monetization for their videos. The combination of traditional online advertising, product placement and sponsorships, and direct viewer support has allowed many gamers, vloggers, make up artists, and more to leave behind a traditional full time job and make internet videos for a living. This is the world we live in now. Entertainment looks a lot different than it did ten or even five years ago. Imagine what it will look like ten years from now.

    What Parents Should Know

    This article is meant to be informative and to answer a question I am asked quite often. There is a world of internet content available to our kids. Some of it is interesting and informative or educational and some of it isn’t meant to be seen by your seven year old. There has been research to show how addictive the short and fast paced videos on YouTube can lead to attention problems and issues at school so limiting screen time is important for our younger kids. As your kids get older, you’ll see their desire to consume web content increase and you will want to give them the freedom to do so more and more. This is good as long as you’ve had boundaries in the past and taught them to be aware of the time they are spending on their phone or computer.

    When your son or daughter tells you they want to play video games or make internet videos for a living, don’t look at them like they are stupid. While not everyone will become a millionaire by making online content, there are many who have made it their full time job (myself included.) Just remind them that many of the things they’ll need to know to be successful they will still learn in school. Let them know that the work of an internet content creator is not easy and the expectations from viewers can be excruciatingly heavy. The most important thing they’ll have to be able to do if they are going to be online for a living is not give up. Tell them to practice that with the things they are into now. Don’t quit that sport, maintain your high grades, keep going to dance or piano classes. Whatever that thing is, learning the ability to see it through will be what can drive them to success in any venture in life. Even if it’s opening toys on videos on the internet.

  • Tumblr to FINALLY Ban Adult Content

    Tumblr to FINALLY Ban Adult Content

    *WARNING: this post uses quotes with direct language about pornography and graphic content.

    While most social media sites that allow user generated content have been working to protect their users from unwanted adult images and videos, Tumblr has been happy to be known as “porn GIF central.” Last month, however, their app was pulled from the iOS app store for child pornography and that seems to have caused the developers to reconsider their policies. Earlier this week, Tumblr announced that they are changing their sensitive content guidelines and will be blocking such posts in the future.

    Tumblr defines sensitive content as:

    photos, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples, and any content—including photos, videos, GIFs and illustrations—that depicts sex acts. – Tumblr help center.

    Their guidelines also mentions what type of posts will not cross their line to be considered “sensitive:”

    Examples of exceptions that are still permitted are exposed female-presenting nipples in connection with breastfeeding, birth or after-birth moments, and health-related situations, such as post-mastectomy or gender confirmation surgery. Written content such as erotica, nudity related to political or newsworthy speech, and nudity found in art, such as sculptures and illustrations, are also stuff that can be freely posted on Tumblr. – Tumblr help center.

    Their terms now state that content that is considered sensitive will not be allowed and that any sensitive posts that have been posted previously and not marked as explicit will be flagged and removed. Accounts that have been treated as explicit in the past (you can tag your own account as explicit) will maintain their explicit status and be allowed to continue posting, however, posts, both past and future, that are considered explicit under the new guidelines will be treated as such and removed.

    What Parents Should Know

    Very simply put, Tumblr is still going to allow some forms of sexual content and nudity in their app, as long as it can be labeled as political, newsworthy, or health and social justice related. Many other social media outlets already have these guidelines so Tumblr, while not allowing “hardcore” sexual content, there are still going to be images, videos, and GIFS, that you don’t want your children to see. My advice is, as always to keep an eye on what your children are using social media for, if they are sending messages to friends, you want to be sure they are wholesome and healthy communication and that they are only talking to people they know. If they are using it for artistic inspiration then you should know they could come across content you may consider sensitive, even if Tumblr does not.

    Bark is a good way to keep an eye on what your children are sending in social media messages. It uses an artificial intelligence to watch out for dangerous conversation for you and send you an alert if something about suicide, self harm, sexting, or bullying is sent or received. As I always say, the most important thing you can do is speak to your child about what they do online and what they use their social media for. You may hear from them that Tumblr is all safe now and that they should be allowed to download it, but let this article be your warning that what Tumblr considers safe may not be the same as what you consider safe.

  • Are You on Your Kids’ Instagram “Close Friends List?”

    Are You on Your Kids’ Instagram “Close Friends List?”

    Instagram is rolling out another update today and this one gives users the ability to build a “Close Friends List.” This category of friend creates a list of names that will see stories that you post and designate for that group only. This allows you to post more private or personal posts and trust that it will only be seen by a pre-approved group of friends. This feature should roll out today and will be available through the settings menu on your profile page in the Instagram app.

    You set up your list and then choose, in your stories posts, to designate that post only for your “Close Friends.” The update shows a green badge to notify those seeing it that it is from your Close Friends list. Those on your list will also see a green circle around your “Stories” icon.

    What Parents Should Know

    This update can be a really good thing. It is important to know who is seeing your posts and keeping your audience in mind. A way to separate those who you are ok with seeing certain things could be a way to eliminate the “finsta” or “Spam” instagram account. My advice, though, is to make sure your child has you on their Close Friends list. If they’ve been posting Close Friends posts and you aren’t seeing a green circle around their stories post, you aren’t on their list and you should have a conversation with them about why you don’t want them hiding posts from you.

    Remember that you should be a safe place for your kids to come if they have serious issues to discuss. They shouldn’t be afraid that you won’t understand their depression or that you won’t believe them if they are having problems with people at school or work. You should be THE place that they know they’ll be heard, believed, and understood. I truly believe that if you create that culture in your family your children will automatically think to add you to their Close Friends list because you actually belong there.

  • Parents are Sending Kids to Fortnite Rehab

    Parents are Sending Kids to Fortnite Rehab

    There hasn’t been a game that has taken the tween world by storm quite like Fortnite has. Its “freemium” business model and “T for teen” rating has caused it to become a larger hit than any game ever has before. Recently, psychologists are making news because they are beginning to treat more and more kids who are addicted to gaming, namely, Fortnite. An article by Bloomberg quotes behavioral specialist Lorrine Marer:

    “This game is like heroin… Once you are hooked, it’s hard to get unhooked.”

    Game addiction was named an official disorder by the World Health Organization and can be diagnosed with some of the same symptoms of other behavioral disorders. Here’s a list of those symptoms:

    1. Obsession, or constant thoughts of the behavior
    2. Continuation of the behavior despite adverse consequences, risky situations, and poor performance of responsibilities
    3. Compulsive engagement of the behavior or inability to stop despite a desire to quit.
    4. Cessation of the behavior causes irritability, cravings to resume the behavior, restlessness, and depression.
    5. Denial of addiction and issues resulting from the behavior
    6. Concealment of the behavior from family and others close to the addict
    7. Amnesia regarding the behavior
    8. Depression, even when engaging in the behaviors

    Many parents report their children failing classes in school, falling asleep during classes, lying about how much time they’ve spent playing, and throwing toddler type temper tantrums when asked to turn the game off. Many of these behaviors are signs of an addiction and a combination of many of these could mean your child needs expert treatment. Children aren’t the only ones, however, with this problem. Medical and mental health professionals are also documenting cases of adults who have had many of the symptoms of behavioral addiction when it comes to playing video games, and even Fortnite itself.

    Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, hasn’t said anything about the addictive nature of their game but it is obvious that their business model depends on gamer’s inability to give up the game. Since the game is free, Epic Games can only make money by encouraging gamers to buy items within the game to enhance the look and actions of their characters. This is causing kids to spend their parent’s money, sometimes without mom and dad even realizing what they’ve done.

    What Parents Should Know

    I have counseled several parents about potential addictive gaming behavior by their kids and I believe it’s important to keep the eight key symptoms in mind when looking at your child’s behavior. How are their grades? Do they have an offline social life? What is their reaction when you mention taking a break? If their responses to these conversations aren’t healthy, it might be time to get some help in convincing them they need time off from gaming.

    Games like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox, are what experts call, “lost time” games. This is when players can spend so much time in-game without even realize how many hours they’ve been playing. This is how your son can play twelve hours of fortnite before you realize you haven’t seen him all day. Twelve hours, if you pretty good at the game, is only six to ten Fortnite matches. That’s nothing to your child while they are sitting there playing.

    If you haven’t opened the gaming pandoras box for your child yet, good for you. (My oldest is eleven and we are just now easing him into it.) Prevention is key. It is important to only allow gaming with time limit parameters set. If you can introduce these time limits as they start to get more into gaming that’s great. Sometimes you aren’t that lucky and you have to have the battle to set time limits once it’s already gone too far. My advice, though, is to do what you have to do because your child needs you to help them learn self control and your teenager needs your guidance as they learn time management. Remember to talk to them about it often and use terms like healthy and unhealthy instead of dumb, stupid, or right and wrong. Hopefully your child will never need a professional counselor to help them get over Fortnite. We have enough problems in the world, we don’t need a widespread epidemic of entertainment addiction.

  • The Family Tech Blog Needs You

    The Family Tech Blog Needs You

    As you make your #givingtuesday plans please consider BecauseFamily. As a small startup non-profit I can guarantee that your donation goes to help us protect kids and teens by bridging the technology gap between them and their parents.

    No VP or CEO pockets to line with cash, no big fancy expensive parties or fundraisers to finance. Just a guy doing his best to spread the word about the importance of screen safety for our families. Please donate and share.

    Visit becausefamily.org/partnership to learn more.

  • Tumblr Removed from Apple App Store for Child Pornography

    Tumblr Removed from Apple App Store for Child Pornography

    Photo blogging app Tumblr has been removed from the iOS App Store because of child pornography. Earlier this month the iTunes App Store removed Tumblr from their market unexpectedly. The reason wasn’t announced at the time but it has recently become clear that scans showed child pornography was making it through Tumblr’s content filters. A statement from Yahoo (owners of Tumblr) confirmed that child pornography was the reason for the app’s removal and said that they are working hard to fix the flaws in their scanning algorithm and get the app back on the app store.

    Tumblr has been criticized for their lack of concern for adult and inappropriate content on their app. Some even call it “porn gif central.” They added an on/off switch for adult content when Apple made it a requirement but didn’t password protect it. Tumblr has a reputation for doubling down on the fact that pornography is what makes their app so popular. The app is still available on Android’s Google Play Store.

    What Parents Should Know

    It didn’t take much research for me to add Tumblr to my uninstall list a couple of years ago. It is still there and this latest news only solidifies that fact that it belongs there. There is content on Tumblr that many feel they want to see. Geek stuff, memes, humor, art, and photography are all featured on the app prominently but a simple search or click on the wrong related image can lead you to hardcore adult images and animated images. Your children shouldn’t be allowed to use Tumblr and your teens should be advised against it.

  • You Can Soon Delete Those Facebook Messages You Sent on Accident

    You Can Soon Delete Those Facebook Messages You Sent on Accident

    Facebook is testing a new feature that will allow you to unsend messages after you’ve sent them. As long as you decide to take the message back within 10 minutes you can undo your typos, unintentional rants, or inappropriate messages. This feature currently isn’t available in all markets but will be very soon.

    What Parents Should Know

    Anytime a Messenger has the ability to delete messages you’ve already sent, I see red flags. One of the problems with our young people using messenger apps is the false idea that they are anonymous or that they can hide what they said. Being able to send disappearing messages on Instagram and Snapchat has put them on my uninstall list. This new feature for Facebook Messenger might be a dealbreaker as well.

    Always discuss with your kids the idea that anything posted online should be considered there forever. Even though a message says it could be deleted doesn’t mean it wasn’t saved by the recipient before you removed it. Also, the increase in cyber bullying and sexting can sometimes be attributed to the ability to take back messages you’ve already sent. Young people could be more inclined to send a sensitive message if they think they can just delete it later. Predators also use disappearing messages to allow them to groom there pray without any evidence being compiled.

    Keep communication about social media open with your kids. Use something like Bark to manage what they are sending and receiving. And model good examples on how to use a Messenger app in a healthy way.

  • LETS RESEARCH | Predatory Advertising in Preschooler Apps

    LETS RESEARCH | Predatory Advertising in Preschooler Apps

    The Study

    This review by Wolters Kluwer Health looked at 39 apps that target kids ages 5 and under. They reviewed the different kinds of advertising and manipulation used in the apps to encourage engagement by the young users. Researchers used Android devices and tested the most popular apps in the age category at the time.

    Types of Advertising:

    Commercial Characters – These are apps that are designed around marketing certain characters that your kids may already love. i.e. Daniel Tiger, Mickey Mouse, Bob the Builder, or Hello Kitty.

    App Teasers – Encouragement for kids to unlock the “full version” of the app.

    Ad Videos Interrupting Play – Videos that feature other apps in the marketplace by interrupting your child’s use of the current app and showing videos of gameplay.

    In-App Purchases – Items, levels, or other content that your child can’t use in the app without purchasing them. These may be items that can be used in game, costumes or costume pieces or even in-game currency that can be used to purchase other things in the app.

    Prompts to Share – Encouragement to share the app on social media sites or even just to rate it on the app store.

    Deceptive or Distracting Ads – These ads often trick your child into thinking they are playing another level of the game. Sometimes they look like they are a part of the app your child is using and then open up an app store link when tapped.

    What Parents Should Know

    To get my full thoughts on this research watch the video above. Liking it and sharing with your friends would be super helpful as well. I will say here, though, that it is critical that we as parents understand how these apps are marketing to our children and help our kids understand the difference between something they are playing or learning from and an advertisement. This study also looked at the difference between ads in paid apps vs free apps and educational apps vs entertainment. None of the results are shocking but hopefully, they are a bit eye-opening for parents who allow their kids unsupervised time on screens.

     

  • Player Unknown’s Battleground is Temporarily Free on Xbox

    Player Unknown’s Battleground is Temporarily Free on Xbox

    This is just a brief notice to let parents know that PUBG, a battle royale game similar to Fortnite but more realistic and graphic, is free today and for a limited time on Xbox. The game usually costs $29.99 but has been marked down for the rest of the week and likely the weekend. The version for iOS and Android has been free since release.

    Check Out: 5 Kinds of Apps Parents Should Look Out For

    What Parents Should Know

    Player Unknown’s Battleground is similar to Fortnite in that you parachute onto an island and try to be the last player standing. That is about where the similarities end, though. The graphics, while not nearly as polished, are more realistic and the death animations are geared a bit more towards adults. This news is important for parents who keep their credit card number or csv from their kids as a way to force them to ask permission to download a game. Since PUBG is free right now, this method of monitoring may not be effective since a payment won’t be necessary.

    I always advise that parents know what their kids are playing on their game consoles and that you discuss with them that there is a healthy and safe way to play and that they should make those good choices. Avoiding strangers and keeping from sharing too much personal information is the best start for your multiplayer gaming safety conversation. Just remember that like Call of Duty’s Blackout, PUBG may seem like its “basically Fortnite,” but it is very different.

     

  • A Warning About Fortnite’s New NFL Themed Avatars

    A Warning About Fortnite’s New NFL Themed Avatars

    Coming November 9th, NFL fans will be able to represent their favorite teams with their Fortnite avatar. The uniform packs will be available for purchase ($12-$15) and will allow you to customize your uniform to select any of the NFL’s 32 teams and any jersey number you’d like. You will not see any names on the back of the jersey’s, though. Emotes (dances,) goal posts, and referees will also show up during your Battle Royale matches.

    The partnership between the NFL and Epic Games (developer of Fortnite) is no surprise as the video game phenomenon has taken the world by storm. We’ve already seen many of the NFL’s end zone celebrations feature some of the dance moves showcased in Fortnite’s emotes and heard many players discussing their love of the game. Blending the video game world with the NFL team culture is great marketing for both Epic Games and the NFL. The NFL will especially benefit since gaming is such a major market for younger generations whom the league is wanting to attract for obvious future-proofing reasons.

    Check this out: Ok, Fine. Here’s What I Think About Fortnite

    What Parents Should Know

    A major frustration for many parents is the constant nagging from their children to allow them to buy skins for their avatars on Fortnite. It’s possible it will get a lot worse. The biggest difference, though, is that some parents may actually see the benefit of allowing their kid to get an NFL Themed skin. If parents are major supporters of an NFL team, it’s possible they would approve of such a purchase because of their desire to see their child express their fanaticism as well.

    All of this is well and good. Just know, if you are the type of parent who doesn’t want your kid spending actual money in a game like Fortnite, this could be one of the first major areas of conflict between you and your child. If you’re ok with Fortnite and even making purchases in the game, remember to keep track of the amount of time your child is spending playing the Battle Royale game.  Be aware that advertising your favorite NFL team in a massively online game could broadcast a little bit (obviously not always) about where you live. i.e. Chiefs fans are in Kansas or Missouri, and Broncos fans are likely in, or at least from, Colorado.

    There have been instances of predators grooming kids in Fortnite and any detailed interest about your child that is proclaimed through their profile or avatar can give a predator more information to use for grooming purposes. Talk to your child about who they are playing with in-game and remind them to avoid lengthy conversations or “squadding up” with strangers. I don’t say any of this to scare you, only to remind you to be vigilant in monitoring the amount of time your child spends on the game, and to maintain an ongoing conversation with them about their time in the game, who they play with, who they talk to, and what their experience is like.