Our Children love Youtube Kids. They always want to watch cartoons or other kids unboxing toys. Most kids now have favourite YouTubers. As parents, we feel safe letting our kids watch Youtube Kids because it’s supposed to be Child-friendly. It helps them learn and keeps them entertained. However, do you know that there is a lot of “horrifying” content aimed at children on YouTube Kids?
A mum on PediMom warns parents about a chilling clip she accidentally spotted on YouTube Kids. While sitting with her child and nursing his nosebleed, the mom was shocked when the “Splatoon” cartoon he was watching was interrupted. For eight seconds, the doctored video proceeded to show the image of an adult man who walks onto the screen and simulates cutting his wrist. “Remember, kids, sideways for attention, longways for results,” he says and then walks off screen. The video then quickly flips back to the cartoon.
“I am disturbed, I am saddened, I am disgusted,” the physician wrote. “But I am also relieved that I was there to see this video with my own eyes so that I could take the appropriate actions to protect my family.” Those actions included deleting the YouTube Kids app and forever banning it from the house.
Other Disturbing content
Other videos have been found with adult content ranging from foul-language to depictions of mass shootings, alcohol use, fetishes, human trafficking stories, and sexual abuse and exploitations. Videos with girls being abused and sold, children killing themselves, videos showing children different ways to commit suicide, multiple shooting scenes in “Minecraft” and a lot more. Read this mums documentation of all the horrifying videos she found on Youtube Kids. This is supposed to be a safe place for our children.
Youtube facilitating Paedophiles
Matt Watson posted a video detailing what he calls “a wormhole into a soft-core paedophilia ring on YouTube.” “YouTube’s recommended algorithm is facilitating paedophiles’ ability to connect with each other, trade contact info, and link to actual CP [child pornography] in the comments,” Watson reported. According to him, it’s easy to come across this even when you’re innocently searching.
What can parents do?
Although Youtube is quick to take such videos down when they are reported; we are still worried about what our children are exposed to when we’re not looking. Before someone reports it, a kid somewhere has already seen it. Kids are very curious, their minds are easy to manipulate.
We can’t let the world or “Youtube Kids” do our parenting duty. It is our duty to keep them safe. We need to be more aware of what our children are watching on YouTube and YouTube Kids. If the kids are bored, there’s a list of other things they can do that does not involve screen time like reading, physical play, chores, assignments etc. They can also use their screen time productively by learning something new online.
You need to be a Digital Savvy Parent to know what’s happening in the Digital world, we don’t have any excuse. Read this article on Tips on how to monitor your child’s screen time. You can also read more about The Best Parental Control Software “Qustodio”.
For more, visit the Technology and Parenting Category. You can send a message on Social Media @Lagosmums if you have any questions on how to protect your children online.
YouTube has updated how it protects children from dangers and more while using their service. To learn more read how here.
