Hello! Welcome! Thank you for fishing us out among all of the breaking news, Christmas promo codes and rival newsletters: we appreciate you. And here is your reward: a heartwarming ode to the loveliest channel on YouTube. No, it’s not Chicken Shop Date, although Amelia Dimoldenberg and Andrew Garfield’s date is still living rent free in my head: it’s Recess Therapy!

You’ve probably come across Julian Shapiro-Barnum and his young charges at some point over the past three years – this is the channel that spawned Tariq the Corn Kid, after all. But, in case you’ve missed it, here’s a quick rundown. Each episode sees Julian – who is a delight, by the way – set the world to rights with his fellow New Yorkers. They are, however, not grownups like him, but kids. Children are, as you probably know, notorious for being savage, which is how you end up with filter-free conversations like the ones that Julian has with Dillon, who is fascinated by Komodo dragons, and – in fact – says he wouldn’t mind seeing a Komodo dragon eat a person alive. Kids are, also, you probably know, full of wonder about the world, which is how you end up with filter-free lines like “imagination is one of the best things that has ever happened”, and “my dad has no hair, but that’s OK with me”.

The best thing about Recess Therapy is that Julian doesn’t treat the kids like babies to be fussed and cooed over, but like the tiny human beings they are, asking them about pressing topics like climate change, self-esteem, how to make friends and, er, whether or not they like 1920s jazz. The revelations are often profound; in a video with the singer Maggie Rogers, regular contributor Miles said “you can’t control the wind but you can adjust your sails” – which is both very “2018 inspirational Facebook post” and yet also one of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard all year.

Over the past three years, Recess Therapy has racked up millions of subscribers and become the most wholesome channel on YouTube. It’s not difficult: YouTube is now two parts Andrew Tate stans to one part Mr Beast. But Recess Therapy stands out nonetheless. There’s something pleasingly low-stakes about the whole thing, which is why it comes as little surprise that some of the most nonchalant of megastars have collaborated with the channel in 2024. There’s Dua Lipa, who is known for both running a fledgling media empire and for going on holiday a lot. There’s the queen of brat insouciance, Charli xcx. Julian even snagged Rihanna, one the world’s most successful entrepreneurs (who might, one day, release another album).

We know by now that child stardom rarely ends well, but I don’t think this is what Recess Therapy promotes. Going viral for being “the corn kid” feels like the kind of thing that would’ve got you on Ellen once upon a time, not signing up with some kind of crooked talent agent. It feels homespun in the best way, like those “hey, are you two a couple …?” TikToks that I spend all day watching. They represent a slice of life and – crucially – a pause in a frantic New York minute, where all of the waifs, strays – and, now, infants – of the city get their stories told.

But back to Recess Therapy, which is starting to hit the big time. The kids do red carpet interviews these days, and Julian has a second, Amazon-backed channel, Celebrity Substitute, where he gets stars including Andrew Garfield. Like Chicken Shop Date’s Amelia before him, Julian has shrewdly kept his original format going, while adding other strings to his bow. One day, Recess Therapy will end, as all things have to – our childhoods included. But until then, it really is the loveliest thing on YouTube, and – I hear – a lot more chill than spending time with your own kids.

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