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From one parent to another: Parents need to stop asking the world to accommodate for them! If you don't think your kids should use YouTube then don't let them.

From one parent to another: Parents need to stop asking the world to accommodate for them! If you don't think your kids should use YouTube then don't let them...easy as that! It's like with cookies...if you really want to I'll bet you find a way to stop you kids from eating them.

ricardobeat 9y ago
Except that “online video” is now a synonym for YouTube. Most people are not aware of this and think “just don’t use YouTube” is as extreme as “then stop watching TV”.
- 21savageaf 9y ago
  No, it's more akin to "don't watch these channels on TV". There is plenty of content served on sites/apps where preventing children from seeing inappropriate things is a primary focus. It's like locking down your TV to only show cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. Besides, putting your child's productive energy into more productive activities that are not watching either TV or online videos will serve them better.
  - ceejayoz 9y ago
    > No, it's more akin to "don't watch these channels on TV". Sort of. If I let my kid watch Peppa Pig on the TV, I can be reasonably assured that it won't suddenly take a turn (while I'm in the next room washing dishes) into Peppa Pig having sex with Barney just before they're both ground up into sausage. The same isn't true on YouTube.
    - Mononokay 9y ago
      That gives me an idea, actually. Do you have an RSS reader of choice?
  - ricardobeat 9y ago
    Thanks for the parenting advice, 21savageaf. I think you underestimate how big YouTube is for the average person. It is pre-installed on most android devices (2B+). Outside of the US and a few european countries, there is no HBO Go/Amazon Prime/Hulu.
    - mosselman 9y ago
      O no, do you mean that there is YouTube pre-installed on my child's stuffed animals and the books I read to her? What can I do against this? Or did you mean some other object that is suitable for children?
- mikeash 9y ago
  I really doubt that. How many Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Go, etc. subscribers are there?
ssharp 9y ago
I think this ignores whether or not YouTube has a moral obligation to create better experiences for children. You can have millions of parents address the issues themselves or you could have one company with massive resources fix the program for millions of parents. Aside from morality, I think it's a clear product / business issue for them.
- mikeash 9y ago
  I see no obligation for YouTube except with their “Kids” app. That one really does need to be appropriate, and from what I’ve heard they are failing at it. But as long as they fix it (or even discontinue it) I see no reason why they need to accommodate children on their adult-oriented site and app.
  - ascagnel_ 9y ago
    The issue with the "Kids" app is they changed it's content filtering -- what used to be a human-moderated whitelist of content is now determined algorithmically. And that algorithm has been unable to filter "satirical" content that features characters from children's shows from actual children's shows.
Waterluvian 9y ago
Agreed. Don't just dump a tablet into your kids hands and get upset when they find their way to dangerous content. I can totally empathise how easy it is. I can give my one year old the wiggles and he's calm and quiet for hours if I want. Holy crap it's quiet. I can clean. I can rest. I can do my taxes. But it's just not a panacea. And as he gets older he will naturally try to control the content flow himself. That's fine. But I need to parent this to protect him from what he can't yet regulate himself.

ricardobeat 9y ago

Except that “online video” is now a synonym for YouTube. Most people are not aware of this and think “just don’t use YouTube” is as extreme as “then stop watching TV”.

21savageaf 9y ago
No, it's more akin to "don't watch these channels on TV". There is plenty of content served on sites/apps where preventing children from seeing inappropriate things is a primary focus. It's like locking down your TV to only show cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. Besides, putting your child's productive energy into more productive activities that are not watching either TV or online videos will serve them better.
- ceejayoz 9y ago
  > No, it's more akin to "don't watch these channels on TV". Sort of. If I let my kid watch Peppa Pig on the TV, I can be reasonably assured that it won't suddenly take a turn (while I'm in the next room washing dishes) into Peppa Pig having sex with Barney just before they're both ground up into sausage. The same isn't true on YouTube.
  - Mononokay 9y ago
    That gives me an idea, actually. Do you have an RSS reader of choice?
- ricardobeat 9y ago
  Thanks for the parenting advice, 21savageaf. I think you underestimate how big YouTube is for the average person. It is pre-installed on most android devices (2B+). Outside of the US and a few european countries, there is no HBO Go/Amazon Prime/Hulu.
  - mosselman 9y ago
    O no, do you mean that there is YouTube pre-installed on my child's stuffed animals and the books I read to her? What can I do against this? Or did you mean some other object that is suitable for children?
mikeash 9y ago
I really doubt that. How many Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Go, etc. subscribers are there?

ssharp 9y ago

I think this ignores whether or not YouTube has a moral obligation to create better experiences for children. You can have millions of parents address the issues themselves or you could have one company with massive resources fix the program for millions of parents. Aside from morality, I think it's a clear product / business issue for them.

mikeash 9y ago
I see no obligation for YouTube except with their “Kids” app. That one really does need to be appropriate, and from what I’ve heard they are failing at it. But as long as they fix it (or even discontinue it) I see no reason why they need to accommodate children on their adult-oriented site and app.
- ascagnel_ 9y ago
  The issue with the "Kids" app is they changed it's content filtering -- what used to be a human-moderated whitelist of content is now determined algorithmically. And that algorithm has been unable to filter "satirical" content that features characters from children's shows from actual children's shows.

Waterluvian 9y ago

Agreed. Don't just dump a tablet into your kids hands and get upset when they find their way to dangerous content. I can totally empathise how easy it is. I can give my one year old the wiggles and he's calm and quiet for hours if I want. Holy crap it's quiet. I can clean. I can rest. I can do my taxes. But it's just not a panacea. And as he gets older he will naturally try to control the content flow himself. That's fine. But I need to parent this to protect him from what he can't yet regulate himself.