The kids making up to $1m a year on YouTube

As ad rules change, child influencers are looking to convert their YouTube status into something more.

"I thought we had a meeting," says Damian Camarillo, a 12-year-old up-and-coming YouTube star, looking up at his father, Eli.

Mr Camarillo checks his phone. "It's at two tomorrow. They kept changing it."

Damian nods and settles further into the sofa, where he is resting after making the rounds of the New York Toy Fair, an annual industry conference that draws some 25,000 people from around the world.

For decades, the event was the exclusive domain of grown-ups - toymakers, retailers and media companies - showcasing the latest products and hunting for the next trend.

But in recent years, child YouTube personalities have become some of the biggest names in attendance.

The Camarillos, who started posting in 2015 and broke out after posting a video of Damian and his cousin eating spicy chips, are established stars in that firmament.

They have about one million subscribers across their channels, which show Damian and eight-year-old brother Deion staging Nerf gun battles, racing toy cars and riffing on Fortnite.

Their biggest channel, Damian and Deion in Motion, attracts roughly 13 million views per month, Mr Camarillo estimates.

Depending on the year, the family, which lives in Arizona, has earned between $400,000 and $1m annually, Mr Camarillo says. Regular toy shipments and direct sponsorships help their posts and supplement advertising income.

It's such big business that Mr Camarillo quit his job as an IT worker in the healthcare industry about three years ago.

But the family still has some way to go before it achieves the status enjoyed by eight-year-old Ryan Kaji, whose Ryan's World channel has more than 24 million subscribers. His rank as YouTube's top earner has translated into a $200m line of toys and a series on Nickelodeon.

"That kid makes $25m a year. Why wouldn't you want to be there":[]}