More Make-A-Wish kids want to meet social media influencers
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Photo: Courtesy of Disneyland Resort
Make-A-Wish is seeing a record surge in requests to meet content creators.
Why it matters: Social media stars are rivaling Hollywood names in cultural influence as platforms like YouTube and TikTok shape kids' aspirations.
By the numbers: The nonprofit reports requests to meet internet personalities make up 32% of the wishes granted within the entertainment industry, the second largest segment behind music.
- In the last year, more than 50 creators and influencers became first-time wish-granters.
Make-A-Wish CEO Leslie Motter tells Axios that creator wishes have more than doubled in the last 10 years.
- "More families and kids are becoming aware that [content creators] are an option. I expect it's going to grow exponentially in the future."
Zoom in: Roughly three-quarters of teens visit YouTube daily, according to the Pew Research Center.
Driving the news: Disney, MrBeast and YouTube recently invited online stars, including ZHC, Mark Rober and Rebecca Zamolo to grant wishes for 40 children at Disneyland Resort.
- The activities ranged from playing Fortnite to painting to doing science experiments.
- Several of the creators say they've been granting wishes for years.
What they're saying: "I'm so touched that somehow I can speak to an audience so deeply that they would want to wish to spend time with me," said TikTok-famous pastry chef Amaury Guichon.
For the children who aspire to be content creators, these opportunities are more than just a hangout.
- "I hope that when they want to become a YouTuber, they can look at me as someone who did it in a positive way," Zamolo says.
The bottom line: Creators aren't just shaping online culture, they're shaping what the next generation wishes for.
