Does your child use YouTube Kids?
If so, you may need to pay more attention to what they are watching.
Millions of kids visit YouTube kids to watch cartoons, nursery rhymes, science experiments or videos of toys being unboxed. Parents have complained about YouTube Kids showing inappropriate content , since 2017.
In Early 2018, YouTube responded by finally rolling out new safety options. These options were supposed to give parents more ways to control what their kids were watching. Basically, it provided you with the ability to choose to turn off the search option, the ability to choose the videos your child watches, and/or select certain channels that were curated by YouTube and their trusted partners. That was in early 2018.
Recently, there has been an outcry about disturbing videos that are still popping up on YouTube kids. I have witnessed a few with my three year old son. Many of which, were of grownups using plastic children figures as they re-enact inappropriate scenarios.
Parents and advocates, have been complaining about this to the Federal Trade Commissioner for months now.
One parent Jennifer Mcclean, took notice to this issue and was featured on the channel 2 news. During her interview she stated: “When I had put something on the screen. it was Elsa and Ana, and I came in to see what I was hearing and it was Elsa delivering a baby for Ana,” said mother Jennifer Mclean. “Just totally inappropriate, it was like she was on a table, legs spread.” Youtube kids has been showing children characters displaying Sexual content, drug use, and violence.
YouTube has been criticized for using algorithms to select material rather than using human moderators to judge what might be appropriate.
What I realized, was my son would start off with Paw Patrol videos or Mickey Mouse clubhouse and then random videos with samurai’s or grownups with swords cutting off the heads of other characters would pop up.
Other parent’s complaint of the videos ranging from showing kids how to sharpen a knife, to burning aeroplanes. With the way violence is today, I cannot stress enough to my 3 year old son, the importance in our family values and how to communicate effectively. These channels have generated millions of views, so imagine what damage or confusion this may be doing to your kids. In 2017, YouTube said it had removed more than 50 user channels and has stopped running ads on more than 3.5 million videos since June. The same issue has occurred this year. It is time to be present in what your kids are doing. I too have fell into the trap of letting the tablet be the new age babysitter for my 3 year old, while I handle little things around the house.
Let’s not wait for these companies to correct themselves. Act now, save our children.
Let Got-Teks Technology keep you up-to-date on the latest in breaches, hacks, fixes and all those cybersecurity issues that keep you up at night.