As I passed his room, I heard the Velcro on my son’s wallet rip open, so I poked my head in to see what was up. “I think I have enough money for this Unspeakable sweatshirt I saw on Amazon.” I did a mental eye roll. Any chance my son gets to be on his tablet, he’s on YouTube Kids watching “Unspeakable,” a guy who plays and comments on Minecraft. I don’t get it, but my son does, and he loves it.
As he counted out his dollar bills and stacked his quarters, I decided to do more research on Unspeakable. After all, if my son wants to walk around with the dude’s name on his chest, I should probably know what he’s all about. I assumed he’s safe because he’s on YouTube Kids, but safe isn’t the same as appropriate for a 9-year-old, and I really should have looked into him months ago. After some digging and watching over my son’s shoulder, I decided to give Unspeakable and the sweatshirt the green light. If you allow your kids to be online, they probably follow some YouTube stars. Is your child’s favorite safe to watch? Check out this list of 10 and see.
PewDiePie
111M Subscribers
PewDiePie’s is the fourth most-subscribed channel on YouTube. His real name is Felix Kjellberg. He’s a comedian, vlogger, and gamer. PewDiePie started out creating playthrough videos in which spectators can just watch him work through the levels of a game. But now his content runs the gamut of skits, vlogs, gaming, and social commentary.
Is he a kid-friendly YouTube star? One hundred percent no. Somewhere along the way, he appealed to a younger demographic, but that is not the case now. Swearing is the least of his offenses. He’s made jokes about rape and joining ISIS and has posted anti-Semitic videos, among other problematic content. I will do whatever I can to keep my son from being subscriber number 111 million and one.
Kids Diana Show
99.2M Subscribers
I’m lumping this channel in with Vlad and Niki, Like Nastya, and Ryan’s World. These channels are geared toward younger kids, not necessarily gaming or stunt-minded big kids.
For the most part, these channels are wholesome and fun. There are several videos that teach lessons like proper behavior, helping with housework, and interacting with siblings. The biggest negative I took away was a lot of consumerism—toys, games, vacations—so don’t be surprised if your child comes to you asking for something she saw Diana play with.
Dude Perfect
58M Subscribers
This summer, my Facebook feed was inundated with posts from friends who took their kids to see Dude Perfect on stage. These five guys are known for their unbelievable stunts and trick shots.
Their content is creative and clean and they promote perseverance and sportsmanship. Just make sure your child knows the stunts they try have been practiced and perfected by a full team, or you’ll be taking a trip to the E.R.
MrBeast
100M Subscribers
My kids refer to MrBeast as “the guy who gives a lot of money away,” so I’m inclined to like him. While pretending to be a news reporter, he gave out $200,000 to people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. That’s not the only likable thing about MrBeast. He’s genuinely kind, optimistic and funny.
I wouldn’t say he’s a completely kid-friendly YouTube star if you have an early elementary-aged kid. He uses a few bad words (that are bleeped out), pulls pranks, and makes some immature jokes.
SSSniperWolf
32.4M Subscribers
SSSniperWolf, also known as Alia Shelesh, is famous for her reaction videos. She’s witty and fun, and it’s easy to get lost scrolling through her content. I can see why kids like her, but I wouldn’t say she’s safe.
I watched two minutes of her video “I FAILED THE EASIEST TEST,” which has nearly 35 million views, and she used a cuss word pretty freely, no attempt at censoring. Most of her videos are clean as far as her appearance goes, but if your kids decide to cross platforms and follow her on Instagram, they’ll get an eyeful.
DanTDM
26.2M Subscribers
If your kids love Minecraft, they probably already know the name DanTDM. Of all the solo content producers on this list, I find DanTDM to be the most likable. His content is mostly gaming videos and his language is mostly clean. You might get the occasional “dang it,” but compared to some other language on the web, he’s G-rated.
Brave Wilderness
20.3M Subscribers
I wish my kids liked this channel. It’s awesome! It features Nathaniel Peterson, known to fans as “Coyote” Peterson, providing Nat Geo-style segments in which he gets up close and personal with reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and insects.
Coyote is famous for subjecting himself to various animal bites and stings just for the experience. If you’re itching to get your kids away from gaming content on YouTube, Brave Wilderness is a great option.
Ninja Kidz
18.6M Subscribers
Ninja Kidz is my older son’s favorite. It features a mom, a dad, and their four flexible, flippy children doing all sorts of challenges and taking wild adventures. The kids are a likable crew, all with rhyming names: Bryton, Ashton, Paxton, and Payton.
There’s nothing questionable about the content other than all the consumerism. That’s given me a chance to talk to my son about how YouTubers make money and that even though they say they “love” a toy, it doesn’t mean they actually do or that we have to buy it. I also have a problem with the fact that my son announced he wants to name one of his kids Bryton.
Unspeakable Gaming
14.1M Subscribers
Unspeakable is Nathan Johnson Graham. He started out making Minecraft videos and now has multiple channels. One is focused on gaming and another is filled with content featuring pranks and challenges—think lots of packing peanuts.
As I said, Unspeakable already got $22 from us, so he’s pretty slick at promoting his merch. He works it into content seamlessly, so your kids might be asking for a sweatshirt soon, too.
PrestonPlayz
13.2M Subscribers
Preston Arsement looks 15 but is actually a 29-year-old married guy who often posts videos featuring his wife. He rose to fame by posting first-person shooter games, but cleaned up his content and now uploads Minecraft, Among Us, Fortnite, and Roblox videos.
On a scale of safe to PewDiePie, Preston definitely leans more toward the wholesome and fun-loving, especially in his prank and challenge videos. As of late, he’s been tiptoeing into slightly more graphic content like monsters with sharp teeth, so proceed with caution. The only other criticism I’d provide is that he is loud. This guy has loads of energy, so if you let your kids watch his videos, you’re gonna want to make them turn down the volume.
Have you found a kid-friendly YouTube star your kids like?
