Britain needs more young people who dream of being YouTubers

Two stories caught my eye this morning. The first was the release of another horrible set of unemployment numbers, with young people caught in a particularly dreadful bind. The jobless rate among 16-24 year olds is a hideous 16.1 per cent, a five year year, against 5.2 per cent for the wider working population.

But, perhaps the kids are going to be alright? The second story was the announcement of a YouTuber as Britain’s Eurovision entry. ‘Content creator’ Look Mum No Computer – also known as Sam Battle from Kent – launched his channel in 2016, playing experimental instruments (organs made from toys such as Furbies and Game Boys, synthesiser bicycles, flame-throwing keyboards, and a Star Wars droid orchestra), gaining 85m views and, now, a spot in Vienna to represent his country.

It may be a bit of a leap to suggest that the creator economy can be the UK a shot in the arm Britain is so in need of. I can understand why my fellow parents might at this point be looking at me as if I’ve finally lost my mind: you mean you’re not worried? What is wrong with you? Have you sat down with a child who asks what they should be doing when they grow up, only to realise that it’s now almost impossible to answer that question?

Many of the career choices we pondered at that age have been blown up. A few years ago you might have said learn to code. Pay close attention in computer science, we lectured: you’ll do great. Trouble is, as I wrote last week, that doesn’t look like such a good option today. AI can do the job quicker and better than the keyboard junkies, and is poised to kick thousands of them out of their jobs.

But are we missing something here? Are we failing to notice that there is a new economy developing under our noses, which young people have learned to exploit with alacrity.

The creative sector has always been a source of strength for this country. Politicians like to look down their noses at it, playing up to their respective bases by brandishing the axe rather than investing in nurturing it. But it is a damn good earner, a good export earner in particular. Films, books, theatre, music. This country incubates and sends their creators out into the world, while employing thousands of people in the hinterland.

There is also a certain British snobbishness applied to any way in which people’s digital lives intrude upon our real ones. It’s why restaurateurs like Jeremy King complain about the “influenza-like outbreak” of social media influencers overrunning his restaurant. I see where he’s coming from. But while we were the future once, Jeremy, they are now.

However, our digital native kids are thriving in this space. It’s a realistic target for them and it can be a very good earner. No wonder three times more children want to be YouTubers than astronauts. I remember scratching my head as my children binged on DanTDM, a wildly successful video game YouTuber, whose shtick was commentating while playing Minecraft. Then he was selling out Wembley Arena. And he appears to be the a fine young man, with a sharp business brain to boot.

No, not everyone who aspires to become an influencer can do it, just as only a limited number of kids who pick up guitars can form bands that sell out a stadium. But a smart and adaptable corps of young people is finding other ways of exploiting the vast reservoir of creativity they possess in roles linked within the sector.

Fretting about the kids is natural. It is something all of us who have been parents do. I confess, I frequently look at the world mine are poised to enter as adults and feel faintly ill.

But, here’s the thing. My parents probably looked at the world I was growing up in and felt the same thing. And most of us managed to navigate the mess we were jumping into. More or less. The video games we played on the Atari and the Spectrum and the Commodore 64 did not rot our brains. The video nasties we watched in clandestine groups when our parents were out, failed to destroy our minds.

Perhaps you can see where this is going, now? Cynical and sarcastic as they are, and as incomprehensible as their influencer heroes look to us, maybe, just maybe, the kids will be alright despite this. Most of them. I hope so.