I have been hearing some worrying things about YouTube for Kids through the grapevine lately. My daughter has never really been into YouTube Kids so this was all news to me, but hearing about some of the content her friends has been consuming on there recently, it got me wondering, if YouTube Kids is actually really that much of a space safe for children, and how much do we actually know about the platform and the impact on our children and their development as parents?
With a name like YouTube Kids you would just naturally be under the impression as a parent that everything on there would be wholesome content or of some kind of developmental value but actually, after a bit of digging around, I’m starting to think that this perhaps isn’t true. I also believe there is also the addictive nature of the way content is relentlessly served up to children that needs to be addressed.
Whilst YouTube states that “YouTube Kids provides a more contained environment for children to explore YouTube and makes it easier for parents and caregivers to guide their journey”, does this mean it is safe enough for parents to let our kids have totally free reign?
To help us get to answer the question “Is Youtube Kids actually safe” I posed some questions to Dr Amanda Gummer of The Good Play Guide (read our previous article on Roblox safety with her here) to get to the bottom of it all.
Is all content on YouTube Kids really safe/age-appropriate for children just because it has the word “Kids” in it as many parents seem to think?
I wouldn’t want to guarantee that YouTube Kids is 100% safe but it is much safer than the main You Tube.
Is purely just setting parental controls enough to ensure that children are watching age or content-appropriate videos on the platform?
No – first of all children often get around parental controls. It’s always a good idea for parents to take an interest in what their children are watching and where possible occasionally watch along with them so you can talk to them about it – not always in a checking it’s ok for them way, but so they know you take an interest in their lives which will help prevent them keeping stuff from you.
Would you say that some of the content on YouTube kids might be questionable in terms of how it develops children’s behaviour/attitudes/morals/thought patterns/language used and its delivery?
Yes, but that’s the same with all content. Children relate to what they see on screen and young children struggle to differentiate fantasy from reality so when they see people being mean, rude, aggressive, etc and it’s portrayed as ‘cool’ they are likely to copy that behaviour. This is another example of where co-viewing, especially with young children gives you the chance to discuss things like that with your child. You can ask questions about how the people may be feeling and ask your child how he/she would feel in that situation.
Sure, some of the content there may be “educational”, but what about the flipside (eg hours of mindless watching of no educational benefits whatsoever)?
There is a lot of content online that is great but regardless, screen time should not be making up the bulk of a child’s leisure time. I recommend taking a balanced approach to your children’s leisure time, much as you do with their nutirition. A balanced play diet ensures children have a wide range of activities that promote their holistic development. Screens can be a part of it, and by all means help them find good, educational content for them to watch, but it’s only part of a child’s play diet.
What about the endless proferring of branded content that seems to be served up by the platform?
It is important to help children understand advertising and improve their digital literacy from a very early age. Even more so with the advent of the metaverse. Have a conversation with your child about the brands they see online and help them understand that they are adverts and that the people want them to buy products.
And what about the fact that so many children – some as young as two – are consuming an endless and mindless soup of YouTube Kids content?
Any excess of screentime is potentially harmful to a child’s social and emotional development. Taking a balanced approach to children’s play time is vital in order for them to develop the skills they need to thrive in this challenging world of ours.
Are there some better alternatives to YouTube Kids you could recommend?
I do prefer the curated platforms such as Hopster and Azoomee to open platforms such as YouTube Kids but it doesn’t alter the fact that excessive screentime on any content is still potentially harmful to children’s development.
Can you, therefore, break down what parents need to be aware of before okaying YouTube Kids for their children?
- Think about the age of your child and how much time you are comfortable with them spending watching content.
- Ensure parental controls are set on your devices.
- Talk to your children about what to do if they see something they don’t understand or that scares them.
- Make time to talk to children about what they’ve been watching and take a genuine interest in it- watching together occasionally too.
What changes would you like to see in terms of the child-targeting content that is currently served on YouTube Kids or indeed elsewhere?
I would like to see less brand advertising on kids’ content and a better understanding of child development from the people making the content so they can make good, content that will be beneficial for children.
So while YouTube Kids is probably mostly safe, there is also a chance kids could see nudity, violence, or just weird and just not very nice stuff, as well as ads for stuff like junk food. Technically, the app is a portal to the main YouTube service and uses an algorithm to filter out the grown-up stuff and funnel the kid stuff to the app. But inappropriate videos can make it past the algorithm, and then there are videos that are on there that while not inappropriate, may not be modelling the best behaviours to our children.
It is all of this we need to keep in mind, and if your children are watching YouTube Kids is good to be aware of what exactly they are watching on there and open it up for discussion.
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