As the global dementia population continues to rise, family caregivers are increasingly turning to YouTube for information about caregiving. However, the quality and content of this informal digital learning medium remain under-examined. This study aimed to analyse the characteristics and informational quality of Korean-language YouTube videos regarding family caregiving for older adults with dementia.

A descriptive content analysis using mixed quantitative and qualitative approaches was conducted on 52 Korean-language YouTube videos. Informational quality was assessed using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), a five-point scale, while thematic analysis was used to identify prominent caregiving topics, emotional expressions, and family coping issues.

The overall informational quality of the videos analysed was moderate (mean GQS = 3.23 ± 1.04), with higher quality scores observed in content delivered by healthcare professionals and structured formats such as lectures and documentaries. The thematic analysis yielded four primary domains: informational content, emotional experiences, family management, and care strategies. While videos focused heavily on education and government support, critical areas such as caregiver self-care and preventive strategies were less predominant. Caregiving burden and emotional strain were frequently expressed conjointly, with positive feelings of affection and feelings of duty towards the family, illustrating the multifaceted nature of informal digital caregiver narratives.

The YouTube content in Korean on caregiving for people with dementia reflects a dual landscape of medical and practical information, and experiential and emotional narratives. Healthcare professionals and geriatric educators should recognize YouTube as an influential, informal learning environment, and contribute to developing balanced, evidence-informed digital resources. Furthermore, incorporating authentic caregiving narratives into nursing education could offer valuable pedagogical opportunities to reinforce students’ clinical empathy and contextual understanding of dementia care in the family.