YouTube started as a simple platform for sharing videos but has grown into a multibillion-dollar media brand. It’s spawned hundreds of celebrities and internet personalities and is even inspiring summer camps for kids who want to become famous YouTubers.

According to The Washington Post, a summer program called Creator Camp is teaching children the skills they need to begin creating content and market themselves, and it’s not the only one.

From college courses on content creation to high school TikTok clubs, it’s easier than ever to find training on how to become internet famous.

This trend comes as more and more kids are aspiring to become YouTubers, with the dream of controlling their own hours, making fun content and earning money for it.

Nearly 30% of children ages 8 to 12 want to become YouTubers, per a survey from The Harris Poll, and almost half of teenagers ages 13 through 18 aspire to become social media influencers, Morning Consult reports.

How do you become a YouTuber?

The most successful YouTubers have creative, original content and are able to get it in front of a wide audience by using technology to their advantage. Programs like Creator Camp aim to teach children how to strengthen both their creative and technological skills in order to achieve that success.

According to The Washington Post, students at Creator Camp participate in a series of classes on storyboarding, scripting, filming and video editing.

“We want to change their relationship with technology, to not just see it as entertainment, but to see it as a tool to create,” Creator Camp co-founder Cazden Morrison told The Washington Post.

What is YouTube Creator Academy?

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There are many opportunities popping up to help guide aspiring kid and teen YouTubers toward online success. YouTube itself offers courses through YouTube Creator Academy, an online platform with lessons on how to attract viewers to your channel and strengthen your own content.

There are also classes on filming and video editing offered at most colleges and many high schools, The Washington Post reports. 

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Why do kids want to become YouTubers?

Although the Creator Camp co-founders stress the importance of creativity and fun in making online videos, many of the attendees The Washington Post interviewed cited financial reasons as their primary motivation for chasing YouTube fame.

Popular YouTubers like MrBeast and Mark Rober have gained popularity in recent years for their elaborate stunts, and lots of kids dream of being able to have that same level of creative and financial freedom.

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