YouTube’s kiddie influencers

In 1965, Soupy Sales was suspended for two weeks from his children’s TV show for telling kids to go to their parents’ wallets and take out funny green pieces of paper with pictures of U.S. presidents and mail them to him. Thousands of dollars poured in!

In contrast, today’s celebrities, who may negatively influence kids’ behaviors, are often kids themselves! And they get big bucks in return. The highest-paid YouTube influencer last year was an 8-year-old, who earned $26 million.

According to a study in the journal Pediatrics, youngsters from 3 to 14 whose parents post entertaining videos of them, aren’t just delivering bad jokes with unexpected consequences; they’re part of a carefully crafted marketing push for junk food that targets young kids.

The New York University researchers found that YouTube “shows” hosted by kids have garnered more than 1 billion views, and almost half promote food and drinks — more than 90% of which are fast foods, candies, soda or fast-food toys.

The persuasive juxtaposition of adorable kids and lousy food promotes obesity: “Numerous studies have shown that children who see food ads consume more calories than children who see non-food ads,” explains the study’s senior author.

So don’t plop your child down in front of YouTube kids’ shows without seeing what products they’re pushing, and talk to your youngster about what makes certain foods unhealthy.

These days, to raise a smart consumer — and a healthy child — you have to start talking about nutrition and how to evaluate media early and often.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare. com.