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Can you be successful on YouTube? Having a million views still means youre in poverty
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YouTube fell under fire for having videos for children that contain violent and sexual themes. Many of these videos included comments with similarly explicit material. - photo by Herb Scribner
Parents may want to quell their childs dream of becoming a YouTube star.

New research from Germany has found that 96.5 percent of people trying to become YouTube stars wont make enough money to break past the U.S. poverty line, according to Bloomberg.

YouTubers who break into the top 3 percent of most-viewed channels which means amassing more than 1.4 million views might only bring in roughly $16,800, according to Mathias Brtl, a professor at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences in Offenburg, Germany, who conducted the research. The U.S. poverty line sits at about $12,140 for one person.

Bartl based these results on the idea of YouTube charging $1 per 1,000 views for an average YouTuber.

If youre a series regular on a network TV show, youre getting a good amount of money, Alice Marwick, an assistant professor of communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Bloomberg. Yet you can have half a million followers on YouTube and still be working at Starbucks.

The research found the top 1 percent of creators had anywhere from 2.2 to 42.1 million viewers. Those creators earn enough money through sponsorships and other deals to make the job work as a successful side hustle.

However, a YouTube spokeswoman said the company hopes to help stars make more money. She said the amount of channels earning more than six figures has risen 40 percent year over year, according to Fortune.

In 2015, there were more than 17,000 YouTube channels that had more than 100,000 subscribers. Meanwhile, only about 1,500 had more than 1 million subscribers at the time, according to BBC.

As Variety reported, a 2014 survey found that teens enjoy watching YouTube stars because the video stars connect with youngsters on a personal and intimate level.

YouTubers were judged to be more engaging, extraordinary and relatable than mainstream stars, who were rated as being smarter and more reliable, Variety reported. Teens also say they appreciate YouTube stars more candid sense of humor, lack of filter and risk-taking spirit, behaviors often curbed by Hollywood handlers.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.