With the rise of social media, the description of dream jobs has changed a lot. Now, children want to become "Instagram stars" or "YouTubers" instead of doctors, police officers or teachers. Thanks to sponsorships and paid posts, these social media stars can earn as much as a CEO of an international company.
According to Forbes' annual "Highest-Paid YouTube Stars" list, the highest paid global YouTube star is an 8-year-old boy who reviews — not surprisingly — toys! Ryan, and his co-vlogger parents, clocked $22 million in earnings last year.
The account began when Ryan, then a 4-year-old, asked his parents to review his favorite toys on YouTube.
Ryan ToysReview started out slowly until a July 2015 video went viral. The video featured Ryan opening and reviewing a box containing more than 100 toys from Pixar's "Cars" series. It has close to 800 million views. Currently, Ryan has 17 million subscribers and a total of 26 billion lifetime views.
Apart from his success on social media, the 8-year-old YouTuber also has a line of toys and clothes sold at Walmart stores around the U.S.
On the Forbes' list, Ryan is followed by YouTube stars Jake Paul ($21.5M), Dude Perfect ($20M), DanTDM ($18.5M), Jeffree Star ($18M), Markiplier ($17.5M), Vanoss Gaming ($17M), Jacksepticeye ($16M), PewDiePie ($15.5M) and Logan Paul ($14.5M).
