Thirteen-year-old Makenna Kelly makes $1,000 per day uploading ASMR videos on YouTube. ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It is a situation where soft sounds could be engineered to provide relaxation effects in listeners. Such sound could be whispering, soft tapping, or even eating sounds.
There are nearly 45 million ASMR videos on YouTube, with celebrities such as Cardi B among others creating their own. Even the Super Bowl ad created by Michelob Light had an ASMR quality. This phenomenon is making ASMR to become a subculture on YouTube, with many people tapping into the growing influence to make money for themselves.
Kelly is the owner of Life with MaK YouTube channel with 1.3 million subscribers. Some of her videos with the highest grossing views have her eating noodles or moving cosmetic brushes over a mic. There is even one where she is seen eating a Gucci shoe.
While Kelly reportedly earns $1,000 from her ASMR videos – or rather from YouTube ads placed on her videos – she also makes money through direct projects. There was an instance where the teen was paid $50 through PayPal to make 10-minute ASMR videos where she ate honeycomb. The video reportedly grossed over 12 million views.
Kelly is not the only person making good money via ASMR videos. Taylor Darling with her ASMR Darling channel earns big with 2.2 million subscribers. Darling also earns an average $1,000 per day with her ASMR videos.
With even 5-year-olds making money on YouTube, there is widespread concern that these children could be exploited by online predators. YouTube however announced that they are taking child safety very seriously, and on a few occasions pulled down channels while talks with the children’s families lasted.
Claire Lilley, YouTubes child safety policy manager, said the video marketing organization assumes the responsibility of protecting young creators and their families from online dangers. This becomes more crucial since emerging tech trends could impact the way these bright kids interact with the internet.
“We’ve been working with experts to update our enforcement guidelines for reviewers to remove ASMR videos featuring minors engaged in more intimate or inappropriate acts,” Lilley said. “We are working alongside experts to make sure we are protecting young creators while also allowing ASMR content that connects creators and viewers in positive ways.”