Congressional Creator Caucus is Happening
In June of 2024, I traveled down to Washington with several other creators to meet with representatives and educate them on the need for a Creator Caucus in Congress. Almost exactly one year to the day later I will be headed back to the Capitol to celebrate the launch of this caucus!
Why do we need a Creator Caucus? I will allow this LinkedIn post from a year ago educate you.
Connecting Creators and Animators for Good
One of the greatest honors of 2024 was connecting the team behind The Adventures of Ping and Roar with creators TJ and Kylee for a very special episode. I was inspired when I saw a video Kylee and her dad had made about her losing her cochlear implant at the park and I pitched an animated version to Digital Smiles and this is the result. It is to this date the most viewed episode of Ping and Roar.
The MrBeast Toy Line Raises Important Questions About COPPA Enforcement
It all begins with an idea.
In June 2024, Moose Toys unveiled its new line of MrBeast toys, including the “Lab Swarms” micro collectibles. Children are invited to “add water, cap the tube, and shake it to accelerate the fizz action-reaction that reveals the Swarms”—which come in varying rarity tiers, such as Common, Rare, Ultra Rare, Special Edition “Hard Heads,” and the Limited Edition “Hyperchrome Panthers.”
MrBeast is far from the first adult creator to launch a successful toy line. Dude Perfect has partnered with Hasbro since 2013, and LankyBox signed with Bonkers Toys in 2021. These creators have cultivated large, enthusiastic audiences, many of whom are children. Their content is entertaining, energetic, and wildly appealing to young viewers—so much so that it’s hard to imagine a child who wouldn’t want a MrBeast toy.
But here’s where things get complicated.
A Brief History of YouTube and COPPA
In September 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined YouTube $170 million for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). As a result, YouTube implemented major policy changes beginning in January 2020. Creators are now required to label their content as either “Made for Kids” (MFK) or “Not Made for Kids” (NMFK)—a designation that directly affects both monetization and the visibility of videos.
YouTube currently classifies creators like MrBeast and Dude Perfect as producing general audience content, not mixed audience or children’s content. According to YouTube:
“General audience content is content that could appeal to everyone, but isn’t intended specifically for children, or content that is intended for a teen or older audience.”
While YouTube did request that the FTC revisit COPPA’s applicability to mixed-audience content during the last open comment period, no such changes have yet been made.
The Disconnect Between Audience and Designation
Here’s the core issue: if a creator’s audience includes enough children to justify a toy partnership with a major manufacturer, it’s reasonable to assume that a significant portion of their views come from kids under 13. So, shouldn't that content be labeled “Made for Kids” to protect young viewers’ privacy, in accordance with COPPA?
In theory, yes. In practice, it’s complicated—primarily because of revenue.
When a video is marked MFK, YouTube disables personalized advertising on that video and removes key community-building features like comments and notifications. For many creators, this change in designation triggered a devastating loss in income. After the January 2020 shift, creators focused on children’s content saw revenue drops of up to 95%.
YouTube has since increased contextual (privacy-safe) advertising on MFK content, but CPMs remain significantly lower. In 2023, our Family Video Network partners earned an average CPM of $2.66 on MFK videos, compared to an average of $6.84 on NMFK content.
YouTube's Inconsistent Enforcement
YouTube employs both machine learning and human reviewers to enforce content designations. If the system determines a video is targeting children based on a set of established factors, it can override a creator’s self-designation and mark the content as MFK.
YouTube does not disclose which specific elements triggered the change, but the platform does provide guidance on factors to consider, including:
Use of child actors or child-friendly characters
Language or themes directed at children
Inclusion of toys, animation, or celebrities popular with kids
Evidence that the actual audience is primarily children
Marketing efforts directed at children
A video need not meet all these criteria to be marked MFK—just one or more.
For creators with toy lines, the following factors often apply:
Use of celebrities popular with children (e.g., MrBeast, Dude Perfect, LankyBox)
Inclusion of toy promotions
Empirical evidence of a young audience (e.g., meet-and-greets heavily attended by kids, merchandise marketed to children)
Despite this, many of these creators’ videos are not marked as MFK.
A System That Penalizes Family Creators
Family and kid-focused creators who meet the same criteria are often required—or forcibly changed—to MFK, resulting in reduced revenue and engagement. Meanwhile, adult creators with similarly young audiences and direct-to-child toy promotions are allowed to remain NMFK.
This double standard has real implications. YouTube and its most successful creators benefit financially from maintaining NMFK designations, even when their content clearly appeals to children. The result is a system that disadvantages the very creators who are most mindful of child safety and compliance.
Why This Matters
MrBeast’s toy line is just one example in a broader pattern of misaligned enforcement. As we await legislative updates—such as the long-delayed COPPA 2.0, not expected to pass before 2025—we remain stuck with a flawed system that discourages transparency and penalizes compliance.
At Family Video Network, we remain committed to advocating for a better framework—one that supports creators who are doing the right thing while clarifying expectations across the board. YouTube was never designed to be the most popular destination for children online, but it undeniably is now. Recent studies show that over 50% of kids ages 6–17 want to be YouTubers when they grow up. They’re clearly watching—and we owe it to them to get this right.
Until the rules catch up with reality, we’ll keep pushing for clarity, fairness, and above all, protection for the children on both sides of the screen.