4 ms·

I'm a parent of two, and step-parent to two, between the ages 5 -11. I think a lot about this, and one of the biggest issues I see (besides the many valid point

by dsnuh 8y ago

I'm a parent of two, and step-parent to two, between the ages 5 -11. I think a lot about this, and one of the biggest issues I see (besides the many valid points I feel the article raised) is that with the rise of Internet video, we are showing kids to kids more often, if that makes sense. I grew up in the 80's, and cartoons were most of the media I consumed. You usually saw anthropomorphical characters depicting behaviors. When you did see live action, it was usually centered more around adults teaching or mentoring the kids (or Muppets), and when kids did appear, they were polite unless being used to illustrate bad behavior. Today, with so much self-published content, kids are seeing other kids, often acting in outrageous ways to get views, likes, followers, and fans. When media became decentralized, I think we lost a powerful cultural platform for shared experience and norms, and it is starting to show.

musage 8y ago
And even that is made seem harmless by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsagate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsagate To wit, endless channels with endless videos including adults dressing up as babies, cartoon kids doing all sorts of fucked up stuff, adult hands pretending to enjoy playing with toys or unpacking things (and/or pop colored balloons and do the finger song, so children can "learn colors nursery rhymes"). And the best part is, so much of it is aimed at kids that can't talk. > On November 28, Forbes presented Elsagate as an example of the "dark underbelly of the digital age". The article's author commented that the "gargantuan scale" of the problem seemed to indicate that children's content on YouTube had become "a monster beyond our control" and that "it's terrifying to imagine how many toddlers have been affected" by Elsagate, "in ways beyond our comprehension". By the way, don't think just because many talk about it in past tense or picked themselves up quickly with some fluffy rationalizations after they stumbled onto the subject, instead of actually looking at it, that the issue is over. New channels are still made, old videos constantly get reuploaded, and new material is still made. But even in November 2017, some articles referred to it in past tense. Amazing.
krolley 8y ago
As a parent of a two year-old, one thing I will not allow (for as long as possible) is unrestricted YouTube. I've seen my nieces watch unboxing videos and videos of kids acting like babies. It seems addictive and utterly devoid of any value.
jasonmaydie 8y ago
I will disagree with the TV thing, but I think isolation and very strict control over their schedule isn't helping. For example my 3.5 year old wanted to play in our backyard, I said no because we have no fence and he could wander away plus I found some garden snakes last week and didn't want him alone down there. However part of me felt bad for him because he wanted to be outside in the grass and I was too worried to let him do it.
- dsnuh 8y ago
  Do you not trust your child to not wander away if you said something like, "Yes, go play, but be careful, and remember not to go past the tree (or whatever)"? Do you let your son ride in cars? That seems way more dangerous than letting him play in his backyard. I don't know you, and there's all kinds of ways to parent, but it feels like you may have some unhealthy anxiety surrounding your child's safety if this is your standard reaction.

by dsnuh 8y ago

musage 8y ago

And even that is made seem harmless by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsagate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsagate To wit, endless channels with endless videos including adults dressing up as babies, cartoon kids doing all sorts of fucked up stuff, adult hands pretending to enjoy playing with toys or unpacking things (and/or pop colored balloons and do the finger song, so children can "learn colors nursery rhymes"). And the best part is, so much of it is aimed at kids that can't talk. > On November 28, Forbes presented Elsagate as an example of the "dark underbelly of the digital age". The article's author commented that the "gargantuan scale" of the problem seemed to indicate that children's content on YouTube had become "a monster beyond our control" and that "it's terrifying to imagine how many toddlers have been affected" by Elsagate, "in ways beyond our comprehension". By the way, don't think just because many talk about it in past tense or picked themselves up quickly with some fluffy rationalizations after they stumbled onto the subject, instead of actually looking at it, that the issue is over. New channels are still made, old videos constantly get reuploaded, and new material is still made. But even in November 2017, some articles referred to it in past tense. Amazing.

krolley 8y ago

As a parent of a two year-old, one thing I will not allow (for as long as possible) is unrestricted YouTube. I've seen my nieces watch unboxing videos and videos of kids acting like babies. It seems addictive and utterly devoid of any value.

jasonmaydie 8y ago

I will disagree with the TV thing, but I think isolation and very strict control over their schedule isn't helping. For example my 3.5 year old wanted to play in our backyard, I said no because we have no fence and he could wander away plus I found some garden snakes last week and didn't want him alone down there. However part of me felt bad for him because he wanted to be outside in the grass and I was too worried to let him do it.

dsnuh 8y ago
Do you not trust your child to not wander away if you said something like, "Yes, go play, but be careful, and remember not to go past the tree (or whatever)"? Do you let your son ride in cars? That seems way more dangerous than letting him play in his backyard. I don't know you, and there's all kinds of ways to parent, but it feels like you may have some unhealthy anxiety surrounding your child's safety if this is your standard reaction.