
YouTube unboxing and how it is changing the toy industry - themakermark
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/22/18275786/youtube-video-unboxing-toy-industry-lol-surprise-dolls
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nickelcitymario
There is a precedent for regulating this sort of thing. Advertising to
children is regulated to some form or another just about everywhere.

What's new and challenging here is that when a person simply posts a video
they made on YouTube, that's freedom of expression. If I want to post videos
of me unboxing things, there's nothing morally or legally wrong with that.

The grey zone is the money being traded between toy makers and video makers.
As soon as money is exchanged, that should logically be considered sponsorship
and be subjected to advertising laws.

Just because it's on YouTube doesn't change that a company is paying money to
an entertainer to promote their products to children. There are already laws
in place about this. It's only a matter of time before prosecutors get
involved.

Of course, the toy companies know this and have factored in the legal risks
into their calculations. YouTube will be able to skirt the issue because
they're just a platform for other people's stuff, and they're not being paid
for these sponsorships. The real risk is being taken by the content producers,
who almost certainly don't realize how liable they may find themselves to be.

~~~
Wowfunhappy
> The grey zone is the money being traded between toy makers and video makers.
> As soon as money is exchanged, that should logically be considered
> sponsorship and be subjected to advertising laws.

This strikes me as the obvious solution and really not all that gray. Kid
posts video on Youtube? That's free speech. Kid posts video on Youtube and
company pays them? That's now an ad, and can/should be regulated.

Throwing a wrench into all of this somewhat is Citizen's United saying money
is speech... but that's a stupid ruling so let's interpret it as narrowly as
possible.

~~~
sjg007
This will be a fun supreme court decision when it happens in the next 10
years.

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RcouF1uZ4gsC
Unboxing videos were one of the reasons YouTube got banned from our kids in my
home. There really aren’t any redeeming qualities in those videos. Kids don’t
learn anything and they were constantly asking me to buy the merchandise and
crying when I said “no”. After a few rounds of this, YouTube got banned.

~~~
gadders
I just imagine armies of 2 and 3 year olds watching videos of toys they can
never have. For some reason that makes me sad.

~~~
slezyr
Well, we already watch reviews of $1k phones, $2k laptops and >$40k cars that
many of us will never have.

~~~
TremendousJudge
yeah but we're not three years old afaik

~~~
gadders
Yeah, I think it was the Dad in me thinking of a 3 year old watching it and
thinking "Wow that is cool" and not understanding why they can't have it.

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rubinelli
Video games felt this first: games are made now to stream well; it is almost
as important as gameplay for many studios.

~~~
MrMember
Many games now even have a "streamer mode" that integrates with Twitch and
lets viewers interact with the streamer through the game.

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musicale
Looks like we will be seeing more loot-box type toys that are optimized for
the box-opening experience rather than long term value.

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smaili
It isn’t just toys - opening trading card booster boxes and packs is also very
popular, especially when something rare is pulled :)

~~~
rasz
> especially when something rare is arranged to get pulled

[https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36702905](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36702905)

[https://news.slashdot.org/story/19/01/04/2158259/youtubes-
bi...](https://news.slashdot.org/story/19/01/04/2158259/youtubes-biggest-
stars-are-pushing-a-shady-polish-gambling-site)

[https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtubers-charged-
promoting-...](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtubers-charged-promoting-
gambling)

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benj111
So we should expect kids toys to be significantly easier to unpackage in the
future?

Or are unboxers armed with scissors, Stanley knives and wire cutters?

~~~
SketchySeaBeast
> The biggest change to come to the toy industry as a result of YouTube,
> though, is in packaging. Toy brands are riffing on the unboxing trend by
> developing special boxes or wrapping that specifically look good on camera,
> and by creating as many surprises as possible.

Nah, they are making the unboxing more elaborate.

~~~
sevensor
It's gotten really bad. They sell toys with superfluous packaging on purpose
now, toys where there's next to nothing fun to play with once they're
unwrapped. You're left with a trash-bag full of plastic waste and a tiny,
badly made, doll.

~~~
sjg007
Or that fake snow stuff with mini jewel like square creatures in them.. or the
pirates in the sand crap. I am amazed with how viral and successful they've
become.

