Foreign YouTubers increase grip over hearts and wallets of Indian teenagers

Not a game or a gadget but a non-fizzy energy drink called ‘Prime’ backed by two popular Youtubers—Logan Paul and KSI— has become the new craze with India’s Gen Z after it made its w ay here through e-commerce sites soon after its launch in the US last year.

The frenzy took over a Delhi school just a fortnight ago when a bunch of teens went about distributing this fruity beverage on campus. When stocks ran dry, they concocted their own imitation and passed it off to their peers who shelled out Rs 200 for a glass and drank up the hype, blissfully unaware that they were guzzling down a knockoff version.

They were also probably unaware that the season’s hottest sports drink, born out of social media reels and the world of influencers, is un der the microscope currently for its potentially dangerous levels of caffeine that could pose serious health risks to teenagers. But even as America’s lawmakers and health experts scrutinise Prime, youngsters like Arshia Bose from Mumbai’s Thane continue to be swept up in its whirlwind. The 19-year-old recently rallied her troops for a taste of the sought-after drink. “Our parents would never allow us to blow up Rs 1,500 on a single drink,” Bose revealed. “So, five of us friends chipped in Rs 300 each to get hold of a bottle from a local kirana store. ” And what was the verdict after the much-anticipated tasting? “There was nothing special about it,” they confessed, “it tasted like lemonade— or rather, worse than lemonade—just flavoured water. ”

The drink was disappointing, but it shows us the sway international YouTube powerhouses — Logan Paul to KSI and MrBeast to Emma Chamberlain — have over teenage hearts and wallets.

KSI released a video in 2021 boasting that India had his third-largest fanbase with “over 20 million supporters” while Mr Beast, known to give away supercars, houses and stacks of cash to complete strangers, revealed in a podcast last year that India was his second largest fanbase in the world. Samaira Chatterjee, a 13-year-old from Mumbai, wistfully recounts Mr Beast’s philanthropy and her own yearning for his collectibles. “Mr Beast is kind and generous,” she gushes about the 25-year-old American. With a following of 166 million subscribers, Mr Beast’s biggest hits include a viral video where he orchestrates a hide-and-seek competition in a stadium with a $1 million prize hidden on the field. On another occasion, he dared 50 contestants to keep their hands on a Lamborghini, with the last one standing walking away with it. But his merch isn’t cheap. “A Mr Beast hoodie is priced at Rs 4,969, it’s just too expensive for me,” sighs Samaira.

American influencer Emma Chamberlain’s day-to-day adventures of visiting coffee shops or making lunch, her emoji-powered take on life and her knack for finding humour in the mundane seem to have struck a chord with Indian teens like Jasleen Kaur, 16, from Punjab who couldn’t contain her excitement when Chamberlain Coffee — Emma’s own brand — hit the scene. “My mom doesn’t want me to be a regular coffee drinker, so I was determined to get myself the matcha green tea and matcha-scented candle from the official website. ”

There was just one problem, though. “It came with a price tag of $55 (Rs 4,500) and my mom wouldn’t a llow it,” says Jasleen who saved up her pocket money over the next two months to buy it.

In the realm of gaming, Darren Watkins Jr, better known by his online alias IS how Speed, dominates YouTube and various gaming platforms with his explosive meltdowns and over the-top reactions to Indian songs and cricketers. In a recent spectacle, the 18-year-old hilariously mistook Shah Rukh Khan for Virat Kohli while watching the Jawan preview that propelled him further into the Indian spotlight. “It’s his gimmicks that make him so entertaining,” says Rishit Sharma, 14, from Delhi. Sanchit Ojha, 19, from Rajasthan, was thrilled when he got a chance to connect with his digital idol during a session on Omegle — an online social platform where people are paired randomly for one-on-one conversations and where Gen Z influencers host impromptu virtual meet-and-greets. “My friends and I decided to try our luck and stumbled upon IShowSpeed! We chatted for a solid 10 minutes, including about Virat Kohli. ”

For nine-year-old Sachit Sharma in Delhi, Logan Paul is the epitome of “cool and street smart. ” Harshdeep Kukreja, 18, in Nagpur, admires how Paul didn’t abandon his content creation career when he ventured into professional boxing.

The pressure to embrace these online role models is on parents, too. Mahavika Shah, a parent from Delhi, admits, “I see that my kids are enamoured by them. So, for my son’s 13th birthday, we bought many bottles of Prime and he wore a MrBeast hoodie. I wanted my child to feel happy, so I went along with it. ”

Cyber psychologist and digital parenting coach Nirali Bhatia says it’s important for parents to be clued in. “They need to step up and educate themselves about the digital landscape in which their children are immersed. ”