YouTube Kids a “vapid wasteland” say US lawmakers

YouTube is still a great place. And yes, it has a multitude of problems, but personally I don't believe it's YouTube's job to make it a completely safe space for kids. Just like with television, it's a parent/guardian's role to parent their kids and set boundaries.

Re: YouTube Kids a “vapid wasteland” say US lawmakers

#5

Post by briga » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 7:34 PM UTC

I would agree with the assessment, but isn't your typical kids TV channel just as vapid? Are US lawmakers worried about the ads and commercialism we bombard our children with on conventional television?

Re: YouTube Kids a “vapid wasteland” say US lawmakers

#6

Post by j4yav » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 7:35 PM UTC

Curated and at least semi-professionally produced content, like PBS kids, is infinitely better in terms of providing consistently good content. I think YouTube is at its heart fundamentally incompatible with providing only high quality enriching content.

Everyone being able to make content means there are gems that would never otherwise get made, and also vast wastelands of garbage to sort through, or get dumped into by the algorithm.

Re: YouTube Kids a “vapid wasteland” say US lawmakers

#7

Post by chapium » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 7:35 PM UTC

[deleted] wrote: post #2

[deleted]

The problem is, as soon as good content ends you are presented with videos chosen by algorithm. In absolutely no time kids will optimize for this via the suggestion bar. The other content is from the bizarre dystopia of content farmed videos and weird stuff like opening a toybox full of the same kind of toy.

Its incredibly frustrating to filter, channels are whackamole. Also, youtube bypasses dns blocking, making it even more difficult to limit using more technical methods.

Re: YouTube Kids a “vapid wasteland” say US lawmakers

#8

Post by ericmay » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 7:36 PM UTC

esotericsean wrote: post #4

YouTube is still a great place. And yes, it has a multitude of problems, but personally I don't believe it's YouTube's job to make it a completely safe space for kids. Just like with television, it's a parent/guardian's role to parent their kids and set boundaries.

> I don't believe it's YouTube's job to make it a completely safe space for kids

I would say it is if the product is literally YouTube Kids... [1]

[1] https://www.youtubekids.com

Re: YouTube Kids a “vapid wasteland” say US lawmakers

#9

Post by lordnacho » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 7:36 PM UTC

It's basically correct, there's very little of value on YT kids. It's junk food ADHD content, continuously. Just crappy content like ripoff songs and kids playing with toys, a giant toy advert. My little one used to go nuts when I turned it off.

I've had to get rid of it in my house. Standard YT has some interesting channels that you can learn a lot from, but it's worth it for me to PiHole anything youtube anyway. Now I just curate interesting videos and the kids have to watch it with me.

Re: YouTube Kids a “vapid wasteland” say US lawmakers

#10

Post by duxup » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 7:37 PM UTC

I swore off Youtube Kids a while ago due to the inability to whitelist / black list effectively (I hear it is better now).

There really was a strange amount of 'empty' what seems like almost procedural generated type content that is just sound and noise and nothing happening.

It's like hypnotoad with slightly more action, but only slightly more action.

I go with PBS Video (https://pbskids.org/) if I need a quick go to type video for the kids. I trust PBS a hell of a lot more.