So my kidlets lately have been coming home from school saying that many of the children in their classes at Elementary School are talking about “all the stuff they see on YouTube.” They say it’s constant. Everyday.
There’s a new study for Safer Internet Day out about YouTube that shows that children are only 3 clicks away from inappropriate content when watching YouTube. Three clicks!! I happened upon these two related articles recently with all the details. They are worth the read:
It got me thinking. Apparently, it’s “cool” to see stuff on YouTube. We watch YouTube at times, like everyone does. We love the funny videos that circulate, Phineas and Ferb uploads, the how-to-videos, and even the religious stuff out there.
But if I show anything to our kidlets, it’s under strict supervision while I sit and watch with them. They are not allowed to browse through YouTube. Not ever. AND we have taken off the YouTube app on all the devices that our children use (my iPhone, the iPad, the iTouch, etc). Yes, they can still access it through the internet, but it’s a little harder.
I also found good step by step instructions on Kids Activities Blog of how to set up a YouTube playlist for your children so they only watch the videos you put on their for them. The playlist she set up was specifically for the Lego YouTube Channel. You can read that {HERE}. (I tried her instructions. They are easier if you have already set up your own YouTube Channel, which we didn’t have. Just FYI).
YouTube has it’s guidelines (like must be 13 yrs old) and a Safety Mode, and there are other ways to protect your computer from porn videos and such, but is it enough?
I believe in letting children enjoy the innocence of childhood as long as possible. Why expose them to the harshness of the world right away? Am I being overly protective? I think I’m not. Am I doing enough? What do you think?
