20 years of YouTube: In 2018, many creators needed breaks. Elle Mills took a memorable one.

In February 2025, YouTube turned 20. The video site has gone through a lot over the past two decades, including an acquisition, an earnings glow-up, and multiple generations of star creators. In our 20 Years of YouTube series, we’ll examine the uploads, trends, and influencers that have defined the world’s favorite video site — one year at a time. Click here for a full archive of the series.

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As the creator economy has grown, more people have cited the influencer profession as their dream job. On the surface, the creator lifestyle seems glamorous, but success on platforms like YouTube requires a rare combination of hard work, persistence, luck, and patience — and 2018 was the year when we found out just how hard the job can be.

13 years into YouTube’s existence, its culture had evolved. Its tentpole and viral video eras were long gone, and the creators who defined the site’s first decade were ceding influence to a new wave of Gen Z stalwarts. These newcomers, who often got their starts on platforms like Vine and Musical.ly, supplanted their heroes and inspirations at the top of the YouTube charts.

Logan Paul showed creators that they could do whatever they want and get away with it. For many of Paul’s contemporaries, the thing they wanted the most was some time off. And that brings us to Elle Mills.

By 2018, Mills had become the latest in a storied line of under-20 YouTube superstars. Following in the footsteps of teenage world-beaters like Ryan Higa and Bethany Mota, Mills ascended to the top of the creator world by the time she turned 19. Thanks to her imaginative videos, she was a fast riser on YouTube, a mainstay on the creator festival circuit, and the star of a multi-city tour.

In May of that year, the trajectory of Mills’ career changed. She uploaded a vlog in which she discussed being “burnt out at 19” and ready for a break. “I’ve been going through a tough time so I’ll be taking a little break off social media to focus on my health,” she wrote in an accompanying tweet. “Promise i’ll be back soon. Thank you for understanding & not speculating.”

In the context of 2018 YouTube, Mills’ revelation was groundbreaking. For most creators — and especially for vloggers like Mills — an extended period of time off was out of the question. Early vloggers like Charles Trippy had worn grueling daily upload schedules as badges of pride, even if that strategy also came with a hefty burden.

That mindset wasn’t just a product of pride — creators could damage their career prospects if they ever upset their busy routines. At the time, the insatiable demands of YouTube algorithm required creators to upload at a frantic pace — often every day — if they wanted to avoid the viewership dips

that had affected top channels. With that ecosystem in place, it’s no wonder that many YouTube veterans experienced the flames of burnout.

The new generation that tapped in for those veterans felt differently. Gen Z creators like Mills, Emma Chamberlain, James Charles, and The Dolan Twins did not fear the YouTube hiatus. They took breaks as needed and trusted their fans to celebrate them upon their eventual return to the platform.

Soon enough, the YouTube hiatus became a trend in its own right. Everyone from Sam and Colby to Lilly Singh to David Dobrik stepped away from their channels for extended periods. The length of those breaks varied, as did the reasoning behind them, but most of the creators who took time off admitted that they felt burnt out after years of consistent video production.

Mills didn’t necessarily kick off the trend of intermittent YouTube activity. After all, she wasn’t the first creator to go on hiatus, and the break she discussed in her “burnt out at 19” vlog only lasted a few weeks. What made her different was the emotional frankness she brought to her creator-fan dynamic. She was not performing a character or carefully curating her life before presenting it on YouTube. Instead, she brought a raw sense of openness to her channel, and her Gen Z viewers — who had turned internet culture into a vibier environment — appreciated her candor.

“It’s definitely been getting more raw on my channel, which is ironic because I hate being raw and vulnerable in person,” Mills told Tubefilter in a 2019 interview. “I think that’s why I’ve been drawn to making videos about subjects that I’m not exactly comfortable discussing in person. It’s therapeutic and an outlet for my thoughts. Making videos now is almost like a diary entry for me. It’s a way for me to explain what’s happening in my life, whether it be my brother going away for college or me experiencing burnout.”

That simple form of stress relief has informed years of YouTube content that came after it. In an era defined by parasocial relationships between creators and fans, some internet pros are still searching for more meaningful connections.

As for Mills herself? She’s still at it, though her focus is shifting from smaller screens to big ones. Her first short film, Reply, announced her entry into the world of filmmaking, and she’s still chasing that dream in 2025. Her project Don’t Forget About Me recently popped up as one of the launch titles for the innovative streaming hub Shibuya.

Mills’ story is a lesson to aspiring creators: If you’re burnt out at 19, you can be creatively fulfilled at 26. All it takes to make that change is a dose of introspection — and a step back from the camera.