Edit: I read the article. My comment that I made (before I read the article) is still valid IMO. She scopes the issue too narrow. The issue is much bigger. Even when I watch something like funfunfunction (where the point is education) or Joe Rogan (i.e. podcasters) this point also exists.

My original comment:

I watch YouTube a lot. About 2 hours daily at the moment and have subscribed to 300 channels. I see one huge issue with it.

It's a one-way interaction.

You give all your attention to them, but they don't give anything back.

This is not an issue if you use YouTube every once in a while, but I've noticed that for me it's becoming problematic. There are many great reasons for watching YouTube, but with this title (love without the messiness) this issue becomes a big thing quite quick.

Consider this: if I'd talk to a friend 2 hours per day versus watching YouTube 2 hours per day. What would be healthier? Well, if it's a good friendship, talking to a friend would be way healthier actually. And I actually know this, because I do tend to have a few friends that I talk a lot to. Both my friendships and my need for watching YouTube stem from similar/the same desires even.

But one gives you attention back, the other doesn't.

This problem was stated in the article, but it doesn't only pertain to ASMR or boyfriend hairdressers. It pertains to any video that has a personable approach.

That doesn't mean that a personable approach is bad. IMO, it's simply a strong reason as to why one shouldn't watch too many videos in general.