". . . and having done all . . . stand firm." Eph. 6:13

Commentary

Parents: Be Aware of Anime, Cosplay, Social Media, and YouTube’s MrBeast

April 24, 2023

Chris Tyson, 26, is a popular YouTube personality whom many young children and teenagers have come to know on MrBeast’s channel. It is very likely that your kids know who Tyson is because the channel has 146 million subscribers; in fact, MrBeast is the most-followed individual on YouTube.

Recently, Tyson has been receiving a lot more media attention because he revealed that he identifies as transgender. Before he made this decision he was married to a woman. He has now divorced his wife and left his toddler son fatherless. In addition, rather than distancing himself from Tyson because his channel is marketed to kids, Jimmy Donaldson (the creator of MrBeast) fully supports his friend and calls those who question him “transphobic.” MrBeast is normalizing gender-transitioning to his young audience.

Tyson’s transformation has been astounding and sudden. When asked about his transition, he tweeted that he’s only been taking hormone replacement therapy for two months. He also referred to it as “life-saving gender-affirming healthcare.”

What caused a married man to identify as transgender and leave his family? His past social media posts reveal that he became addicted to pornography in anime, a style of colorful animation developed in Japan. Anime pornography is especially dangerous because people try to justify it by saying they’re just watching cartoons (not real people). In addition, these people who watch anime pornography often times start watching pornography involving children. Christian podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey recently talked about Tyson’s obsession with anime that includes young girls and looked at other cases of anime influencing gender dysphoria on her podcast, “Relatable.”

Not only can men and boys become addicted to anime pronography — girls can, too. For example, Charlie Jacobs (the pen name used by a mom who wrote an article for The Daily Signal) talks about how when her daughter turned 12 she immersed herself into anime art and “cosplaying,” the hobby of dressing like fantastical characters. Jacobs writes, “I didn’t know that anime and cosplaying can overwhelm a young mind. I didn’t know that anime and cosplaying involved gender-bending themes and that the community crosses into pedophilic and sexual themes. I also didn’t know that the older cosplay community groomed the younger cohorts.”

Her daughter and friends identified as everything but “basic” (straight). Jacobs checked her daughter’s phone, but had not realized that she had set up “appropriate” fake social media accounts for her mom’s viewing. (You can read the kinds of things her daughter and friends did through social media in her article.) Thankfully, over time — due to the persistence and love of Jacobs — her daughter no longer identifies as transgender.

Jacobs’s story is an example of why it’s crucial for parents to make wise decisions regarding their children’s use of technology — including delaying smartphones until at least middle school and not allowing them to have social media accounts. You can learn more about how to protect your children through Protect Young Eyes.

Chris and Charlie’s stories should motivate parents to be vigilant regarding what our children and teens are watching and immersing themselves in. As we raise them to know and love Jesus, the Holy Spirit will lead them to walk according to His ways: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. … For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:1-3,8-10).

When our children have a loving relationship with the the Light of the world, they will not be able to help but share the Good News that brings the peace and hope that come only through our Savior.