A 7-year-old boy was this year's highest paid YouTube star, making $22 million in one year

"Ryan ToysReview" is such a simple concept for a YouTube channel. A 7-year-old boy - Ryan - plays with his toys, commenting to the camera as he rolls trucks, squirts glue, pretends to fly airplanes, and whatever else kids do for fun at that age. And yet, he's raking in the bucks, making $22 million this past year, according to Forbes.

These short, simple videos have made Ryan one of the most popular influencers online, with 17.3 million followers and a total of nearly 26 billion views since he (and his parents) launched his main channel, Ryan ToysReview, in March 2015. For Ryan, this means not only an endless stream of toys to play with but also a seemingly endless stream of money: He was this year's highest-paid YouTube star, earning $22 million in the 12 months leading up to June 1, 2018, Forbes estimates.

What's his secret? Why do so many young people watch his show? "Because I'm entertaining and I'm funny," the confident little guy told NBC. Right to the point!