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Eight-year-old Evie loves watching YouTube videos of people opening and playing with toys.
"I like it because it's entertaining and we can see how [the toys] work," she said — and she's not alone.
Adelaide-based Come And Play is one of Australia's most popular YouTube channels.
Its simple videos mainly consist of a pair of hands playing with toys against a plain white background.
Since Bun-Ey and Li Li Ha started the channel in 2015 it has racked up more than 1.1 billion views.
"It's very surprising, very unexpected," Mr Ha said.
"We didn't expect it to become this big."
Family's main source of income
Before starting the channel, Mr Ha, who has two young children, was working full-time in IT.
"It was very long hours so I got a bit frustrated because I really wanted to spend time with my kids," he said.
While Mr Ha and his wife still have part-time jobs, the online videos are now the family's main source of income.
"We try to aim for the younger kids, so we make them very colourful with a lot of sound effects," Mr Ha said.
Are they advertising?
Some parents commenting on ABC Radio Melbourne's Facebook page were concerned videos such as those made by Come And Play amounted to little more than advertising.
"They are paid by the toy companies in kind (free toys) and ad revenue," Tisham Dhar said.
But Mr Ha said he and his wife purchase all the toys for the videos themselves.
"We don't have any sponsors that give us toys."
They follow similar channels to theirs to work out what toys are trending, and order products from around the world to feature in their videos.
"What you see is not always what you find in the shops," he said, adding that some toys can be difficult to source.
Videos featuring chocolate Kinder Surprise eggs, which contain toys when opened, are among the channel's most popular, with some gaining several million views within days of being uploaded.
So what's the appeal?
Melbourne child psychologist and neuroscientist Charlotte Keating said the videos present toys in enticing ways, and were an example of what has been termed "mimetic desire".
"It's the idea that desires don't just depend on the properties of the object, but also on whether the object is seen as attractive to others," she said.
"In the playground children will run after somebody with the same toy, even if the exact same toy is available next to them."
Mimetic desire activates regions of the brain called mirror neurons, along with other areas of the brain involved in motivation.
The process results in the release of the chemical dopamine, which is associated with pleasure and reward.
"It can lead kids, when watching these particular videos, to develop anticipatory desire," Dr Keating said.
"It isn't actually fulfilled because they don't necessarily get the object of their desire in the end, but it can fuel an incredible desire and anticipation for these particular toys."
Not necessarily harmful
Dr Keating said that while more research was needed, there were currently no studies to suggest the videos were harmful to children.
She said the videos could provide parents with "really useful product information".
"They can see what the toy actually is before they themselves may go and buy it," she said.
Dr Keating said for some children the videos could "produce an opportunity for the fantasy to continue into imaginary play".
Some parents commenting on Facebook said they had observed that happening with their own children.
Vickie Fox said her daughters made their own pretend videos.
"The videos on YouTube can be very contrived, but I kind of like that my kids use these videos as inspiration for their own play," she said.
Jodie Rye said her son was autistic and watching others play with toys had helped with his own imaginative play.
"I not only see no harm in these videos, but also see benefit," she said.
Limiting screen time important
Dr Keating said the Department of Health recommended children between the ages of two and five have no more than one hour of screen time a day, while older children should have no more than two hours.
She said parents needed to ask whether videos such as these were the best use of that screen time.
"Is it the sort of content that's supporting language development?"
Mr Ha said parents should not be concerned by the videos, but he urged parents to be with their children while watching videos online.
"Make sure you know exactly what they're watching because there are a lot of videos out there that are misleading," he said.
Topics: internet-culture, social-media, children, parenting, kids-games-and-links, melbourne-3000, adelaide-5000