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Ask HN: How can I make YouTube load very slow and buffer a lot?

6 points by Snowalker 10y ago

My son spends an insane number of hours daily on Youtube. How can I slow it down and make it buffer a lot so he hopefully gives up?

xyclos 10y ago
I suggest that you have a direct and honest conversation with your son about a habit that you believe to be harmful.
- coreyp_1 10y ago
  ^ This is good advice.
jmnicolas 10y ago
Youtube is not the problem, it's the symptom. You're looking for a technical solution to a psychological problem, it won't work imo. But I realize I'm not helping you much here, good luck ;-)
- kleer001 10y ago
  > psychological problem I would suggest also possibly a social and or economic problem. There might even be a "magic bullet" where a single change can reap huge rewards. More allowance, less allowance, different school, after school program, later wake up time, the variables are myriad. I would suggest looking into kinesthetic intelligences (sp?). Moving around. Sports, music, karate, track and field, etc. Positive and creative physical discipline.
actionwords 10y ago
comcast.
Snowalker 10y ago
I tried an honest conversation but he is back to his old habits. I like to see him happy and I like him to feel unrestricted but he watches these teenagers everyday and some of them speak pretty bad and do bad stuff. All I want to keep him away from this.
- davismwfl 10y ago
  I have an 18yo boy and 2 pre-teen daughters. Kids will do what you allow them to do, youtube isn't the issue cause he'd just find a different site/game etc. I am no yard stick for anyone to measure to, but I would suggest that your desire to have him feel unrestricted is the issue. Kids need boundaries, they need restrictions, they need discipline (not beatings, just rules and limits). Do they complain about it? Sure, they do. But they crave it, because without it there is no guidance to show them what is right and what is wrong. Also, how do they develop healthy habits unless you push them to have them and take away negative habits? They won't, they'll do what is fun and easy because most kids are all about instant gratification, although there are those that are just internally super self disciplined. I am pretty positive you don't let him write on walls or swear at adults or be disrespectful to you, so why is computer time different? For my kids, they get a limited amount of electronic time per day, e.g. iPods, iPads, PC etc. For the pre-teens, they get no more then 90 minutes during the weekday and no more then 4 hours on a weekend day for "electronic" time. It may sound harsh, but that forces them to choose what they want to do with that time wisely. As the get older, I'll expand/adjust it. Also, I don't include them doing homework assignments in that time, that is always allowed. I also allow them to research something if they have a question etc, it isn't like I hammer them at the exact time, but it is a limit that they respect. And they always ask before starting up a PC etc. Even TV is monitored, but not strictly limited. But by doing so they choose to go outside and play, they choose to still make up games to play etc. For my 18 year old, he had the same type of restrictions too, but as he got older they of course got less and less to the point I let him do what he wants now. He spends too much time in my opinion on youtube, hulu, netflix etc. But he has great grades and has a social life etc, plus now he's an adult with a new job and college coming soon, so he's gotta figure out some new balance.
  - kleer001 10y ago
    sorry, I have to more than upvote this. I wish my parents had subscribed to your stated model. As an adult I've had to scrape and twist to grow the kind of discipline I've seen lattice up great things. Friends, colleagues, lovers, teachers, the lot of them I've seen practice less or more discipline. And always the ones with more looked healthier, more content, creative and joyous. Then again we can't always rely on appearances. Still, it's better than it could have been, my raising. No sour grapes. "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" - Robert Browning
tkinom 10y ago
I setup the wifi AP to block youtube for his computer for certain time period. Also, I reward him with game time / RC air plane building project time with me if he did certain % of Khan Academy each weekend. He's 4th grade and finished 35% of 6th grade math himself and did some javascript program course on Khan Academy.
- Snowalker 10y ago
  Interesting, my son is in the same grade, 4. Would you mind sharing the Khan courses your son follows? Maybe I can get him do some coding. I'm a coder myself and I know this can be fun. Thanks.
noobie 10y ago
I am on the phone so I haven't tested these. http://www.net-peeker.com http://www.net-peeker.com https://www.netlimiter.com https://www.netlimiter.com http://freenet.mcnabhosting.com/python/pyshaper/ http://freenet.mcnabhosting.com/python/pyshaper/ Like others have pointed out if this is just a symptom of another problem you'll only be teaching him how to be more patient and thus result in more wasted hours.

6 points by Snowalker 10y ago

My son spends an insane number of hours daily on Youtube. How can I slow it down and make it buffer a lot so he hopefully gives up?

xyclos 10y ago

I suggest that you have a direct and honest conversation with your son about a habit that you believe to be harmful.

coreyp_1 10y ago
^ This is good advice.

jmnicolas 10y ago

Youtube is not the problem, it's the symptom. You're looking for a technical solution to a psychological problem, it won't work imo. But I realize I'm not helping you much here, good luck ;-)

kleer001 10y ago
> psychological problem I would suggest also possibly a social and or economic problem. There might even be a "magic bullet" where a single change can reap huge rewards. More allowance, less allowance, different school, after school program, later wake up time, the variables are myriad. I would suggest looking into kinesthetic intelligences (sp?). Moving around. Sports, music, karate, track and field, etc. Positive and creative physical discipline.

actionwords 10y ago

comcast.

Snowalker 10y ago

I tried an honest conversation but he is back to his old habits. I like to see him happy and I like him to feel unrestricted but he watches these teenagers everyday and some of them speak pretty bad and do bad stuff. All I want to keep him away from this.

davismwfl 10y ago
I have an 18yo boy and 2 pre-teen daughters. Kids will do what you allow them to do, youtube isn't the issue cause he'd just find a different site/game etc. I am no yard stick for anyone to measure to, but I would suggest that your desire to have him feel unrestricted is the issue. Kids need boundaries, they need restrictions, they need discipline (not beatings, just rules and limits). Do they complain about it? Sure, they do. But they crave it, because without it there is no guidance to show them what is right and what is wrong. Also, how do they develop healthy habits unless you push them to have them and take away negative habits? They won't, they'll do what is fun and easy because most kids are all about instant gratification, although there are those that are just internally super self disciplined. I am pretty positive you don't let him write on walls or swear at adults or be disrespectful to you, so why is computer time different? For my kids, they get a limited amount of electronic time per day, e.g. iPods, iPads, PC etc. For the pre-teens, they get no more then 90 minutes during the weekday and no more then 4 hours on a weekend day for "electronic" time. It may sound harsh, but that forces them to choose what they want to do with that time wisely. As the get older, I'll expand/adjust it. Also, I don't include them doing homework assignments in that time, that is always allowed. I also allow them to research something if they have a question etc, it isn't like I hammer them at the exact time, but it is a limit that they respect. And they always ask before starting up a PC etc. Even TV is monitored, but not strictly limited. But by doing so they choose to go outside and play, they choose to still make up games to play etc. For my 18 year old, he had the same type of restrictions too, but as he got older they of course got less and less to the point I let him do what he wants now. He spends too much time in my opinion on youtube, hulu, netflix etc. But he has great grades and has a social life etc, plus now he's an adult with a new job and college coming soon, so he's gotta figure out some new balance.
- kleer001 10y ago
  sorry, I have to more than upvote this. I wish my parents had subscribed to your stated model. As an adult I've had to scrape and twist to grow the kind of discipline I've seen lattice up great things. Friends, colleagues, lovers, teachers, the lot of them I've seen practice less or more discipline. And always the ones with more looked healthier, more content, creative and joyous. Then again we can't always rely on appearances. Still, it's better than it could have been, my raising. No sour grapes. "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" - Robert Browning

tkinom 10y ago

I setup the wifi AP to block youtube for his computer for certain time period. Also, I reward him with game time / RC air plane building project time with me if he did certain % of Khan Academy each weekend. He's 4th grade and finished 35% of 6th grade math himself and did some javascript program course on Khan Academy.

Snowalker 10y ago
Interesting, my son is in the same grade, 4. Would you mind sharing the Khan courses your son follows? Maybe I can get him do some coding. I'm a coder myself and I know this can be fun. Thanks.

noobie 10y ago

I am on the phone so I haven't tested these. http://www.net-peeker.com http://www.net-peeker.com https://www.netlimiter.com https://www.netlimiter.com http://freenet.mcnabhosting.com/python/pyshaper/ http://freenet.mcnabhosting.com/python/pyshaper/ Like others have pointed out if this is just a symptom of another problem you'll only be teaching him how to be more patient and thus result in more wasted hours.