4 ms·

With youtube you're one "recommended" video away from both morally dubious content targeting kids, and qanon conspiracy content.

Mauricebranagh 6y ago
I think that's more a problem for the grandparents and parents
- slothtrop 6y ago
  Sure, but you still can't police the content your kids watch there passively, while conversely with Netflix or cable you can set it and forget it.
  - Minor49er 6y ago
    If parents are relying on "setting it and forgetting it", that's not policing at all. Youtube Kids was supposed to be a solution like this where the site would offer filtered videos for children, but it quickly resulted in the so-called Elsagate scandal where children were targeted with videos depicting things like violence, drug use, and sexual activity
- delecti 6y ago
  It's definitely a problem for both. Lots of kids are getting radicalized too, along with the Fox News generation.
- SethMurphy 6y ago
  While not related to TV (but possibly radio), My political radicalism probably peaked in 4th grade due to my surroundings. Young minds can be very easily influenced before they fully develop critical thinking.
ohdannyboy 6y ago
Is that actually your experience on YouTube or is this just something people say to encourage deplatforming? I don't think I've seen anything at the level of flat earth or Q on my related videos since like 2017... I've even attempted to seek out some of these videos just to see the claims and it was difficult to maneuver past Youtubes search redirections. Want a non-conspiracy example? Search "obama is gone" on youtube then on DuckDuckGo. Even a stupid crab rave meme is buried, presumably for the purposes of preventing Obama related conspiracy theories from emerging. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=obama+is+gone https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=obama+is+gone https://duckduckgo.com/?q=obama+is+gone+site%3Ayoutube.com https://duckduckgo.com/?q=obama+is+gone+site%3Ayoutube.com I'd still never park my kid on Youtube but things aren't like they were pre-adpocalypse.
- slothtrop 6y ago
  Just yesterday I got recommendations for Sky News, some preacher, and conspiracy clips. All it took was to watch a couple of music videos with several million views. This is what the algorithm is shoveling to people. One evening of video surfing and you'll practically trip over them. I have no idea how it is one could never notice this stuff. I clear cookies and have no account.
  - ohdannyboy 6y ago
    Interesting. I do look at related videos so it's not about noticing anything... We clearly have different experiences. The difference I see is that I have an account with subscriptions and years of activity data. I guess the algorithm knows I don't click on that stuff so they stopped trying to show it to me. I'm very surprised to learn they are giving users these recommendations by default.
- Kaze404 6y ago
  It is mine. I don't watch much political content on YouTube, and I constantly get Steven Crowder and PragerU videos on my recommended feed. Needless to say I don't subscribe to their ideas (to put it lightly).

Mauricebranagh 6y ago

I think that's more a problem for the grandparents and parents

slothtrop 6y ago
Sure, but you still can't police the content your kids watch there passively, while conversely with Netflix or cable you can set it and forget it.
- Minor49er 6y ago
  If parents are relying on "setting it and forgetting it", that's not policing at all. Youtube Kids was supposed to be a solution like this where the site would offer filtered videos for children, but it quickly resulted in the so-called Elsagate scandal where children were targeted with videos depicting things like violence, drug use, and sexual activity
delecti 6y ago
It's definitely a problem for both. Lots of kids are getting radicalized too, along with the Fox News generation.
SethMurphy 6y ago
While not related to TV (but possibly radio), My political radicalism probably peaked in 4th grade due to my surroundings. Young minds can be very easily influenced before they fully develop critical thinking.

ohdannyboy 6y ago

Is that actually your experience on YouTube or is this just something people say to encourage deplatforming? I don't think I've seen anything at the level of flat earth or Q on my related videos since like 2017... I've even attempted to seek out some of these videos just to see the claims and it was difficult to maneuver past Youtubes search redirections. Want a non-conspiracy example? Search "obama is gone" on youtube then on DuckDuckGo. Even a stupid crab rave meme is buried, presumably for the purposes of preventing Obama related conspiracy theories from emerging. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=obama+is+gone https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=obama+is+gone https://duckduckgo.com/?q=obama+is+gone+site%3Ayoutube.com https://duckduckgo.com/?q=obama+is+gone+site%3Ayoutube.com I'd still never park my kid on Youtube but things aren't like they were pre-adpocalypse.

slothtrop 6y ago
Just yesterday I got recommendations for Sky News, some preacher, and conspiracy clips. All it took was to watch a couple of music videos with several million views. This is what the algorithm is shoveling to people. One evening of video surfing and you'll practically trip over them. I have no idea how it is one could never notice this stuff. I clear cookies and have no account.
- ohdannyboy 6y ago
  Interesting. I do look at related videos so it's not about noticing anything... We clearly have different experiences. The difference I see is that I have an account with subscriptions and years of activity data. I guess the algorithm knows I don't click on that stuff so they stopped trying to show it to me. I'm very surprised to learn they are giving users these recommendations by default.
Kaze404 6y ago
It is mine. I don't watch much political content on YouTube, and I constantly get Steven Crowder and PragerU videos on my recommended feed. Needless to say I don't subscribe to their ideas (to put it lightly).