Now we have YouTubers KSI, PewDiePie and Zoella is it the end for television? '“ Daniel VassieÂ

As a child I loved rushing home from school to watch the latest episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, or some other cool cartoon.  

But it seems children are watching less television and instead turning to the online world.

Whenever my six-year-old sister comes in from school, she turns her tablet straight on and loads up YouTube. It seems crazy to me. 

The evolution of the internet over the past 10 years has been incredible and its influence on the lives of young people cannot be underestimated.

More and more people are  continuing to log into YouTube daily to keep up with content from their favourite online 'influencers'.

That  includes me.

The viewing numbers s ome YouTubers are gaining are astronomical. One million television views would be considered a huge success right now. But to YouTube stars like KSI, PewDiePie and Zoella that would be considered an off-day.

These stars have cult- like followings, people  who will watch every video, buy every piece of merchandise, and attend every single event.

It is becoming a regular thing for online events to be held in arenas and stadiums.

A recent YouTube boxing match between internet celebrities KSI and Logan Paul took place at the Manchester Arena.

 Neither of them are professionals, yet the fight was the biggest white collar boxing event in history, with more than 2.5 million concurrent viewers, and 18 million overall, all paying for the privilege. 

Children '“ and adults '“  are in the process of a complete shift to online entertainment, with the rise of other media like Netflix and podcasts also playing their part.

While there are still some very highly viewed television shows, they are becoming rare. 

How much longer until television as we know it is a thing of the past?

Daniel Vassie is a journalism student at Highbury College