The YouTube Stars Selling Cheating

An exclusive investigation by BBC Trending looks at the YouTubers who are promoting academic cheating online. More than 250 popular YouTube channels – including some fronted by children as young as 12 – have been paid to advertise Edubirdie, an essay-writing company. Many of the adverts, which collectively have had hundreds of millions of views, urge students to hire a “super smart nerd” to write their essays. It’s not illegal, but students caught handing in other people’s work can face serious consequences. So are the video stars misusing their power to influence their audience – and what is YouTube doing about it?

Presenter: Ed Main
Reporter: Branwen Jeffreys
Producer: Anisa Subedar
Studio Managers: Neil Churchill and James Beard

Photo: Popular YouTuber Adam Saleh has advertised Edubirdie on his channel.
Photo credit: Adam Saleh/YouTube