At just three years old, Ryan Kaji was an inquisitive child ready to dissect boxes holding toys. Fast forward ten years, he is now a fourteen-year-old entertainment tycoon, with an estimated net worth in the ballpark of $100 million. Ryan is the star of YouTube’s “Ryan’s World” and along with some unique headwinds, the young creator has transformed children’s digital entertainment.
Current Age and Personal Background
Birthday and Current Status
Ryan Kaji (born October 6, 2011) is now 13 years old, as of 2025. Hailing from Texas, Ryan’s been in the spotlight more than half his life, entertaining millions of young viewers while growing up in front of them.
Family Foundation
Ryan’s parents, Shion and Loann Kaji, met as undergraduates at Texas Tech University. Shion was an immigrant from Japan who had studied in the United States since high school, while Loann’s parents had fled Vietnam in search of refuge. This diverse upbringing instilled the values of hard work and education into the Kaji family.
Originally they had the last name Guan; however, they changed their name to Kaji for YouTube and media purposes to maintain some anonymity. Ryan has twin sisters, Emma and Kate, who also appear in many of Ryan’s videos and are contributors to the family.
Early Career Beginning
The YouTube Genesis
Ryan’s journey began in March 2015 when he was just 3 years old. After watching other toy review channels, young Ryan asked his mother, “How come I’m not on YouTube when all the other kids are?”
His first viral video consisted of a simple unboxing clip where he opened a LEGO Duplo train set and built it. The genuine excitement he had, as well as their relatable reactions, connected with young viewers almost instantly and laid the groundwork for what would become a worldwide sensation.
Channel Evolution
The channel started as “Ryan ToysReview” before rebranding to “Ryan’s World” as content expanded beyond toy reviews. The breakthrough came with a car wash video in July 2020 that quickly went viral, accumulating over 13 million views and transforming Ryan into a full-blown YouTube sensation.
Parental Support and Business Strategy
Mother’s Career Sacrifice
After some success with Ryan’s initial videos, Loann Kaji made the bold decision to leave her career as a high school chemistry teacher to manage Ryan’s channel full-time. Having an educational background has helped Loann come up with the channel’s science experiments and educational videos.
“I think my teaching skills were a natural fit for the channel in creating kids’ educational and science content,” Loann explained in interviews.
Strategic Business Partnerships
In 2017, Ryan’s parents partnered with a children’s media startup called PocketWatch, which is based in Los Angeles. The company took on logistical tasks, like marketing, merchandise development, and brand-building, so the Kaji family could solely focus on the content. Ultimately, they leveraged their combined strengths to build a comprehensive empire.
Financial Success and Net Worth
Current Wealth Estimates
Multiple sources estimate Ryan’s net worth at $100 million as of 2025. This wealth stems from diverse revenue streams that have evolved as Ryan has grown.
Earnings Timeline by Age
- Ages 4-5 (2016-2017): $11 million annually
- Age 6 (2018): $22 million (highest-paid YouTuber)
- Age 7 (2019): $26 million (retained top position)
- Age 8 (2020): $29.5 million (record earnings during pandemic)
- Age 9 (2021): $27 million
- Age 10+ (2022-2025): Estimated $35 million annually
Revenue Breakdown
Today, Ryan’s current estimated monthly income from YouTube is in the range of $700,000 – $1 million alone. Ryan’s additional in come includes:
- Merchandise Sales: Licensed products available at major retailers like Walmart and Target
- Brand Partnerships: Collaborations with companies like Mattel, Nintendo, and major toy manufacturers
- Media Rights: Television shows, streaming content, and movie deals
- Gaming: Mobile apps and console games featuring Ryan’s characters
Channel Growth and Statistics
Subscriber Milestones
Ryan’s World has amassed over 37 million subscribers across multiple channels. The main channel boasts an impressive 58 billion total views as of 2024, making it one of the most viewed channels in the history of YouTube.
Most Popular Content
The video called, “Huge Eggs Surprise Toys Challenge,” has over 2 billion views as of mid-late 2023 and is categorized as one of YouTube’s top 60 most watched videos of all time. This one video showcases the astounding extent Ryan’s content has reached when appealing to young viewers.
Multi-Channel Strategy
The family operates 10 different YouTube channels under the Ryan’s World brand, including:
- Ryan’s World (main channel)
- Ryan’s Family Review
- The Studio Space
- EK Doodles
- Various themed content channels
Brand Expansion Beyond YouTube
Television and Streaming
“Ryan’s Mystery Playdate” aired on Nickelodeon for four seasons from 2019 to 2023. The family has also produced content for Amazon Kids+ and other streaming platforms, expanding their reach beyond digital-first audiences.
Movie Ventures
“Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure,” was released in August 2024 in 2,000 theaters in the United States. This marked Ryan’s shift from digital content to traditional cinema which is an incredible testament to the reach Ryan’s World brand has in terms of entertainment.
Product Empire
The New York Times reported that Ryan’s World merchandise generated over $250 million in sales during 2021. Products include toys, clothing, bedding, and educational materials available in major retail chains.
Major Controversies and Criticisms
FTC Advertising Complaint
In 2019, Truth in Advertising filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging that Ryan’s channel failed to properly disclose sponsored content to its young audience.
One complaint said that around 90 percent of Ryan’s videos had paid product recommendations,targeting preschoolers who lack the cognitive capacity to differentiate between advertising based content and organic content.. The watchdog group argued this violated FTC laws requiring clear advertising disclosures.
Family Response
Ryan’s father, Shion Kaji, replied that the family “carefully adheres to the terms of service of all the platforms, as well as the laws and regulations, such as the advertising disclosure requirements.” The family said viewer safety and appropriate content was the priorities.
Child Exploitation Concerns
Some critics have asked if Ryan actually gives his consent to the public aspects of his life, and if the pressure of being in front of the camera constantly is something he can genuinely consent to. Some have argued that a 3-year-old cannot give true consent to a career that has generated millions of dollars and global notoriety.
Shion Kaji defended their approach, saying they always tell Ryan that creation is an “fun project” and he doesn’t need any stress because of it.
Growing Up in Public
Teenage Transition
As Ryan has gotten older, his content has changed from reviewing toys, to educational experiments, animated content, and other, more complicated entertainment. As Ryan gets older, the family has tried to pivot and evolve to keep the audience interested in the content, since Ryan is quickly outgrowing the original audience.
Educational Priorities
Regardless of all the success, Ryan’s parents still put education first. He is in a regular school, and they are trying to keep him as mentally stimulated as possible, along with normal child activities after school.
“If you ask Ryan how his day was, it’s a typical kid with typical days. We are always reminding him that this is a fun project and not something to feel stressed about,” Shion Kaji shared in interviews.
Future Content Strategy
The family will be leaning into Ryan’s twin sisters, Emma and Kate, in animated productions featuring Ryan’s World characters, as a means to transition Ryan from a child influencer to a “big brother” with an increasingly aging audience.
Bottom Line
At 13 years old, Ryan Kaji is no longer a curious 3-year-old, but instead, one of the highest-earning content creators in the world on a $100 million empire that reflects the good and bad of growing up in the digital age. Although there have been controversies over disclosures around sponsorships and concerns about child exploitation that have raised important questions around young influencers, Ryan’s continued success shows that there’s always a market for organic, family-friendly content.
The evolution of Ryan’s content and brand will likely dictate the evolution of children’s digital entertainment in the coming years.Ryan’s change to multimedia empire from toy unboxings is both a guiding light and a cautionary tale for the next generation of young content producers.
Disclaimer: The financial net worth and other estimates are based on publicly available information and professional estimates. Age estimates are based on the verified birth date of October 6, 2011. This article is compiled based on reputable business, entertainment, and news sources at the time of publishing in June 2025.