Three hundred million viewers, mostly young and very young. Accusations of cheating, racism, homophobia on the one hand, on the other the disturbing suspicion of grooming of minors... A scandal that shocks online entertainment for juveniles but which Italian media ignore despite the size of the audience involved.
If you are a certain age, the names of Mr Beast and Ava Kris Tyson will probably be unfamiliar to you, yet the two personalities, both youtubers, are real stars with gigantic numbers. And equally gigantic are the consequences of the allegations that have engulfed the YouTube channel of Mr Beast, born Jimmy Donaldson, the world's most followed channel with more than 310 million subscribers, almost all of them young and very young. In fact, one of his former collaborators, known online as DogPack 404, began posting testimonials in which he accused Mr Beast of making fake videos and piloting sweepstakes, in which many of his very young followers participated in the hopes of winning the rich prizes up for grabs. Accusations that had immediate repercussions among Mr Beast's fans, who would never have imagined anything like this, especially at the hands of a character also known for carrying out large-scale charitable works, as in the case of the 100 water wells in Kenya.
The web doesn't forget: the incriminating phrases
The web doesn't forget: the incriminating phrases In addition to this, as has often been the case with other celebrities, posts and comments have popped up in which Jimmy Donaldson allegedly indulged in racist and homophobic behavior, thus going on to commit the two most serious “sins” for an influencer, and which hardly a rainbow ecosystem like YouTube is willing to forgive. A case then, that of Mr Beast, so great that the scandal that engulfed Chiara Ferragni seems like a walk in the park.
The Tyson affair
If the probable cheating and racist and homophobic phrases were not enough, another storm has swept through Jimmy Donaldson's channel, this time through his co-star Ava Kris Tyson, born Chris, who is transgender. Already a highly controversial character for bringing her personal “transition” story inside Mr Beast's videos, thus unleashing transgenderism even among the minors who make up the magna pars of her audience.
But if Donaldson is facing all in all “ordinary” relief, in Tyson's case, however, the charge is different and much heavier: “grooming”, that is, solicitation of a minor. The fact would concern a 14-year-old, a case about which there would be unequivocal chats and messages. A very heavy charge for a very odious crime, certainly yet to be confirmed, so it is good to wait for any official outcome avoiding premature judgments.
In all this landscape meanwhile, there are those who have pointed out a disturbing element: namely, Ava Kris Tyson's fondness for the drawings of the controversial “artist” Shadman, whose specialty is to draw scenes with sexual content with very young-looking protagonists, even drawing inspiration from real people who actually exist. In this regard, one infamous drawing is the one depicting the daughter of another American youtuber known as Keemstar, who is only 7 years old. In short, a self-styled artist whose disgusting and dangerous realizations would not only camp in Tyson's house, but would also be framed behind his back in some YouTube videos, later promptly removed.
In whose hands do we put our children?
Beyond any possible legal implications, it is certainly important to point out how all this took place within a platform such as YouTube Family, i.e., the section of the world's largest video publishing site explicitly aimed at minors and families, recalling how one of the most important youtubers with programs dedicated to children and young people had as his sidekick a man who declared himself a "woman". Something to think about every time we put a smartphone in our children's hands, leaving them at the mercy of YouTube stars and starlets or TikTok as the Mr Beast on duty.
Bachelor's degree in Communication, Publishing and Journalism (Sapienza University of Rome), Master's degree in Business Communication (University of Salerno), postgraduate course in Economics (University of Parma). He deals with marketing and business development in Italy for a small foreign company. Passionate about sociology, media and politics, he studies the emerging cultural and subcultural phenomena among young westerners.
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