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Nine-Year-Old Ryan Kaji Becomes This Year's Highest-Paid YouTuber For Third Year

Nine-Year-Old Ryan Kaji Becomes This Year's Highest-Paid YouTuber For Third Year

Ryan Kaji has raked in an impressive $29.5 million

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

At nine, many of us were falling out of trees and getting covered in mud but this young YouTuber has already made a cool $29.5 million (£21.8m).

Ryan Kaji has amassed an incredible 27.6 million subscribers on his channel which has seen him become the highest paid YouTuber for the third year running.

YouTube/Ryan's World

The youngster, from Texas, has also made an estimated $200m (£147m) from Ryan's World branded toys and clothing - which includes Marks & Spencer pyjamas.

Ryan started out reviewing toys when he was three and has now surely earned enough to buy every toy he could possibly desire.

The 'child influencer' and his family now run a total of nine channels with Ryan's World being the most popular of them - one of his most watched videos has raked in over two billion views.

YouTube/Ryan's World

It hasn't all been plain sailing for them though because last September, his parents were accused of not fully disclosing sponsored content.

Truth In Advertising claimed Ryan's parents Shion and Kieu-Loan did not always clearly disclose when sponsored products were incorporated in videos - which was almost 90 percent of the time, the watchdog claimed.

In its complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, Truth in Advertising said Ryan's content might not be as innocent as it seems.

Eight-Year-Old Boy Is Highest Paid YouTuber For Second Year In A Row.
YouTube/Ryan's World

The complaint read: "It is often difficult to discern the innocent (or sometimes not so innocent) antics in Ryan ToysReview videos from the sponsored content. And for preschoolers, it is impossible to discern the difference."

It continues: "When a YouTube video directed to children under the age of five mixes advertising with program content, as Ryan ToysReview videos frequently do, the preschool audience is unable to understand or even identify the difference between marketing material and organic content, even when there is a verbal indicator that attempts to identify the marketing content.

"Ryan ToysReview's sponsored content is presented in a manner that misleadingly blurs the distinction between advertising and organic content for its intended audience."

Ryan's parents came under fire from an advertising watchdog.
YouTube/Ryan's World

Responding to the accusations in a statement, the parents said they always complied with advertising regulations.

The statement read: "The well-being of our viewers is always the top priority for us, and we strictly follow all platforms' terms of service and all existing laws and regulations, including advertising disclosure requirements.

"As the streaming space continues to quickly grow and evolve, we support efforts by lawmakers, industry representatives and regulators such as the FTC to continuously evaluate and update existing guidelines and lay new ground rules to protect both viewers and creators."

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Ryan's World

Topics: Viral, Entertainment, YouTube, Viral, Entertainment, YouTube