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Cindy Marie Jenkins

VidCon 2023: Is It Good For Kids?

VidCon is happening in Baltimore for the first time this weekend, and I’m following the livestreams of both Industry and Community panels. Here’s a quick summary of how VidCon came to be and what families can get out of it.

Who Started VidCon?

Legendary YouTubers Hank and John Green held the first VidCon in Los Angeles way back in 2010 when YouTube was just starting to be popular outside of cat videos. In fact, the entire concept of the platform was so new that L.A. Times said that VidCon was, “celebrating a culture of homemade online videos compulsively watched by millions.”

2010’s “homemade online videos” are 2023’s multi-million dollar enterprises.

This is the only photo I could find of VidCon on Shutterfly.

From a Group Hug to Advertiser’s Mecca

The sold-out 1,400 person group hug that was the original VidCon grew to “Over twenty thousand executives, YouTube creators, and fans,” according to Brendan Gahan’s recap of the digital video conference (noting that he was on VidCon’s Board at that point). Vanity Fair wrote an extensive introspective from the creator, fan, and brand perspective that comes down to the fact that YouTube is a big business and the only place to reach 16-22 year-olds, according to professional marketers. Nowadays that demographic extends to 6-22 year-olds.

(Note: YouTube doesn’t release statistics on users 15 or under, but in 2023, 77% of 15-25 year-olds watch YouTube, spending up to 59 minutes on average.)

Advertisers definitely took notice, and just three years later in 2018, Viacom (now Paramount) bought VidCon in efforts to reach younger audiences and expand their live events division. The VidCon team still works out of Minnesota, where John and Hank Green’s media company Complexly is also based.

Is VidCon For Fans, Creators, or Brands?

You might think that VidCon is geared only toward creators and brands, but it became pretty obvious pretty quickly that you can’t have a meeting of online video creators without their fans. Digital content has a direct link to their viewers that rivals only live theatre. VidCon became as popular for its Meet and Greets and potential chance meetings with your favorite YouTubers as much as, if not more than, its panels.

Brands started to take notice and soon became the funding machine for VidCon’s growth. According to VidCon CEO Jim Louderback in a profile on Paramount’s website, attending VidCon has a high value for brands. “Brands go to make connections with high-level creators. But it’s also that VidCon has 20,000 14-to-20-year-olds. It’s a hard to reach, savvy audience. They’re all making videos and posting. It’s the most media-savvy group in world.”

Who Attends VidCon? Is It Good For Kids?

VidCon is advertised as an all-ages event, and adults must accompany guests under the age of sixteen. Many of the brand activations and booths are like an indoor carnival for kids.

Would kids or teenagers enjoy VidCon? Absolutely. The brand activations often include gaming stations, Nerf gun fights, diving boards into popular stuffed animals, not to mention the Creator Meet and Greets. For many, just breathing the same air as their favorite YouTubers makes the ticket price worth it. However, as with any large convention of niche fans, there are certain precautions to take or warn your kids about.

  • There are multiple VidCon events that host an open bar, although you should need special passes to get into these parties.
  • Anyone under the age of sixteen is required to have an adult with them, who also has access to the same tracks their children do.
  • Children under the age of five do not need a ticket. See more under the Chaperone Policy.
  • It’s great to plan for which creators and panels you want to see, but be sure to leave room for breaks, long lines at food trucks, and some breaths of fresh air.
  • If you see a creator ourside of a panel or meet and greet, especially if they’re with friends and family, this is not a great time to approach them for a photo or autograph. They are humans too, and want to enjoy time with loved ones as well as fans.
  • People definitely cosplay, and it’s a great time to let your geek flag fly! That’s one reason why I adore taking kids to conventions: seeing how others enjoy and revel in the things they like helps young people hold onto their emerging interests and know that they are not alone in their love. (This sentiment has more to do with Comic-Con or MegaCon than VidCon, but it still applies.)

VidCon hosts annual events in Abu Dhabi, Anaheim, Mexico, Sao Paolo, and on demand. They also choose one other major US city every year to present their conference, usually on the East Coast. An on-demand subscription is also available for purchase if you want to experience it on your own time.

Read more: 7 Ways to Show Your Kids the Power of YouTube Influencers Over Their Brains

Photo/Image Credit: Canva, & Shutterstock

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