YouTube, the new backyard of children: A study on commodified childhood

The internet's widespread use has turned children into prosumers, raising concerns about the sanctity of childhood. This study investigates the role of children in society and in economic processes, as well as the representation of childhood in a YouTube channel during the 21st century. The study analyzes a YouTube channel featuring a child who has been creating content since preschool age. The data was collected through document analysis. The findings section of the study presents inductively analyzed data with various examples. The analysis focuses on the changes in family members who hold important positions in the channel, the relationship and production processes between the audience and the channel, as well as the channel's structure and content. The findings indicate that the child's position on the Youtube channel has remained unchanged over the years. The channel's growth has stagnated due to her father's significant influence on the content and flow. Although the channel has been producing content since 2016, Sedef has no control over content. The viewers still expect other family members to be present. Additionally, the study reflects the impact of the videos on the character formation of the child who started producing content as a preschooler.