'Poverty porn': the moral dilemma behind MrBeast's billion-dollar empire

"He is also a prominent philanthropist. Beyond his involvement in fundraising initiatives such as #TeamTrees, which claims to have planted more than 24 million trees worldwide, Donaldson runs a dedicated Beast Philanthropy YouTube channel. He claims 100% of profits from this channel's ad revenue, merch sales and sponsorships go towards helping others. This has included paying for 1,000 cataract surgeries, constructing a medical clinic for children rescued from slavery, and building 100 wells to provide clean water in Africa."

"Many of Donaldson's videos involve subjecting people to what might be seen as degrading or exploitative situations, in exchange for money. In Donaldson's " Ages 1 - 100 Decide Who Wins $250,000" video, contestants (including young children) are put in an intense competitive structure and forced to eliminate one another. We see a grown man help to intentionally eliminate an 11-year-old girl, which leads to her sobbing on camera."

"In another video, he tells a random group of shoppers they will win US$250,000 if they are the last to leave the store. Under pressure to stay, they are kept from their families and forced to endure poor living conditions, with some experiencing emotional breakdowns. These videos have been labelled by various critics as " poverty porn ", as they could be seen as exploiting the desperation of vulnerable people to generate clicks and ad revenue."

MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, runs the most subscribed-to YouTube channel with 484 million subscribers and an estimated net worth of US$2.6 billion. He is also a prominent philanthropist, including fundraising through #TeamTrees, which claims to have planted more than 24 million trees worldwide. He runs a Beast Philanthropy YouTube channel and claims 100% of profits from ad revenue, merch sales, and sponsorships go toward helping others. Reported efforts include paying for 1,000 cataract surgeries, constructing a medical clinic for children rescued from slavery, and building 100 wells for clean water in Africa. Critics raise concerns that some videos use degrading or exploitative situations for money, including competitive elimination involving children and high-pressure store challenges that restrict contact with families and create poor living conditions.

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