‘We want it by no means existed’: readers inform us about their household’s use of YouTube

[ad_1] W hat position does YouTube play within the lives of Australian households with youngsters? Because the federal authorities plans to incorporate YouTube in its forthcoming ban on social media accounts for kids below the age of 16, Guardian readers responded to a name out about their very own children’ use of the platform and what they considered the ban.

That is what they informed us.

‘Merely not possible to watch’ Dad and mom steadily reported they have been limiting their youngsters’s use to shared areas by co-watching or via parental controls. However many stated this was time-intensive and almost not possible to take care of and have been involved about what content material was slipping below their radar.

“We use YouTube Youngsters and at all times test what they watch earlier than we allow them to watch something on there. We do that as a result of YouTube can't be trusted – the algorithm leads you in a short time down bizarre or regarding rabbit holes and the messaging in a video is commonly delicate and exhausting to display as a guardian with out pre-watching all the pieces (which isn't reasonable).

“The ultimate cause [we restrict our children’s use] is due to my very own expertise with YouTube as an grownup. I at the moment really feel like I'm having to actively battle in opposition to the algorithm taking me in route I don’t need to go. I watch one video of a gel blaster, and I get 100 movies of People capturing weapons. One video of a bodybuilder within the health club and I get 100 scantily clad health fashions … If I've to battle this tough, YouTube would do the identical with my children.”Marty, father of two youngsters below 9, Brisbane

“Earlier than we eliminated it, our kids would watch YouTube for hours. We eliminated it as a result of they'd get caught in gratification loops and soar from one video to the following.

“I've loved watching some movies with our kids. Some are intelligent and really humorous. However finally it’s too troublesome to manage, filter content material and make sure they’re not being uncovered to doubtlessly dangerous content material. We've got three boys and we’re conscious that many movies comprise express and implicit attitudes that younger boys could be influenced by in relation to ladies, for instance.”Dad or mum of three youngsters who're 13, 11 and 6 years previous, Adelaide

“YouTube is the bane of our existence – we want it by no means existed. Our son locks himself in his room and for the current faculty holidays spent virtually the complete two weeks on YouTube and gaming. We’ve obtained no thought what dangerous content material he’s seen as there at all times appears to be a loophole to web monitoring software program.”Dan, guardian of a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old, Melbourne

“YouTube supplies subsequent to no helpful parental controls over content material and the few measures they do have are subsequent to ineffective (having gone via the entire thing very just lately). Whereas up to now we've got been fortunate in that [our son’s] slightly slender focus has stored his feed comparatively freed from lower than perfect content material, we're at all times involved that he shall be served up one thing completely inappropriate.”Gerard, father of a 13-year-old, Canberra

“There isn't any management over what they see. Even with strict settings on YouTube children, my baby was robotically performed horrific content material disguised as child’s TV.”Peter, father of three youngsters who're 2, 4 and 6 years previous, Sydney

“It's merely not possible to watch the content material that's being seen however even via occasional glances on the feed I can inform that my daughter is being uncovered to a variety of materials with magnificence/physique picture stereotypes, whereas my son’s feed tends to be extra larrikin/sport oriented. I'm additionally left with the impression that the content material is rife with misinformation.”Richard, guardian of a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old, Hobart

“My youngsters are youngsters and by that definition are simply swayed by vibrant lights and dopamine-releasing repetitive reward programming. My points with YouTube is that it's used as a form of poker machine to earn a living off of our inbuilt thirst for dopamine and all of us have been sucked in. I would favor extra controls to keep away from the garbage whereas benefiting from the excellent content material obtainable however alas the truth is that the tutorial stuff is just not the cash maker, the mind draining, excessive power, vibrant trope is the center of what runs this behemoth.”Monique, guardian of an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old, Bell Put up Hill

‘They will watch it for hours with out breaks’ From fleeting consideration spans and hours wasted to issues concerning the content material that may slip below the radar of kids’s YouTube feeds, many dad and mom felt the YouTube algorithm inspired extreme use and supplied doubtlessly dangerous content material.

“I do fear how brief content material impacts their capability to concentrate and I discover {that a} TV or a film positively doesn’t maintain their consideration for as lengthy. We've got to present a warning earlier than we flip it off to handle the transition away from screens. A number of the content material definitely appears senseless (like my daughter watching one other baby taking part in with dolls) however additionally they often inform me fascinating details and data they’ve discovered on YouTube.”Dad or mum of a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, Sydney

“The waste of time it actively cultivates via the algorithm, there’s no warning as to what's going to pop up subsequent, it appears to get weirder and extra excessive the longer you watch it. I've no religion within the tech firms caring concerning the wellbeing of kids. I believe they actively create algorithms which can be dangerous in goal to get eyeballs for longer.”Alicia, guardian of an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old, Colonel Gentle Gardens

“If left to observe YouTube by themselves, as they've sometimes at associates’ homes, it's at all times puerile, short-attention-span mashup [of] garbage or scary movies comparable to [the horror video game] Poppy Playtime, and so on. Our youngest watched three hours of this at a pal’s home a couple of years in the past and had nightmares for months.

I’m very supportive of the tutorial content material in YouTube, however regardless of having free entry to this the children simply don't appear to decide on to observe it and solely watch garbage.”Damien, father of a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old, Sydney

“It’s has been (at occasions) irritating resulting from YouTube being joyful to show our youngsters to inappropriate content material. Shorts is diabolical. Nevertheless it has gotten higher as soon as we might determine our youngsters as YouTube customers.”Matt, father of a 16-year-old and an 11-year-old, Ballarat

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“I train ethics at an area public faculty and in a bit the place we requested a few dream job about half the children stated they needed to be gamer YouTubers, which is a priority, though older age teams appear to develop out of this.

“I'm much less involved about ‘inappropriate content material’ as I'm about utterly worthless content material, and youngsters don’t have the flexibility to discern the distinction.”Dad or mum of a 15, 13 and 10-year-old, Sydney

“It’s a real dependancy, together with full-on tantrums when it's restricted.”Dad or mum of a 16-year-old, Brisbane, Queensland

“They will watch it for hours with out breaks. So the rule we've got now's one hour a day. Particularly for my 7-year-old who would instantly soften down and cry when it was turned off. That was a really huge signal that it was not creating optimistic suggestions to him.

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“My 12-year-old has higher governance, however has on events been frightened by movies which have come up showing to be for teenagers, however been disturbing as an alternative ... We actually hate YouTube, although, and need it wasn’t there for us to deal with.”Dad or mum of three youngsters who're 7, 10 and 12 years previous, Harrisdale

“He was in a position watch what he needed, however he would solely watch shorts. We discovered that watching these shorts on a regular basis was effecting his temper. Since we restrict his YouTube to extra academic stuff, we've got discovered his temper to be much more steady.”Kevin, father of a 13-year-old, Burua

‘He discovered to crochet from YouTube’ Many dad and mom cited large academic advantages from YouTube, from supporting area of interest hobbies to permitting youngsters a artistic outlet as content material creators themselves.

“I'm involved concerning the degree of unfiltered content material he might simply be uncovered to if he strayed off the trail, however I'm really extra involved about the opportunity of him shedding entry to it. He discovered the best way to crochet from YouTube, we each discovered about intersectional feminism and we're about to collectively learn to weatherproof our flat.”Single guardian to a teenage son, ACT

“We use YouTube for training (eg Ms Rachel, how issues are made, volcanoes, David Attenborough content material), leisure (Puffing Billy movies, music movies eg Teeny Tiny Stevies). I'm a music trainer and use YouTube every single day (on-line footage of musical performances, tutorial movies, different college students taking part in college students items, skilled recordings of band items and so on). [YouTube is] the very best training platform within the historical past of civilisation!!!”Dad or mum to a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old, Melbourne

“Each my sons 11 and 14 often use YouTube for info and gaming movies. My eldest has an account the place he makes movies about his ant colonies. He has about 100 followers, different children who're into ants. I don’t [support the ban]. Many children are simply sharing their data and passions which is wholesome.”Dad or mum of a 11-year-old and a 14-year-old, Sydney

“Our son makes use of YouTube each day for his fundamental passion, which is stop-motion filming with Lego setups. He spends many hours on lovely video clips, edits them and uploads the ultimate product to YouTube the place he has followers on his personal channel. The entire thing is a very artistic, productive passion, and YouTube performs a central half in it.”Dan Arno, father of an 11-year-old son, Munich

‘If these firms is not going to regulate themselves then one thing needs to be accomplished’ Dad and mom had a various vary of views on whether or not or not a ban on under-16s from having their very own YouTube accounts is fascinating or efficient, citing issues about privateness within the proposed regulation alongside a frustration that oldsters have been unable to guard their youngsters from dangerous or extreme use with out extra regulation.

“I don’t assist the present laws in any respect. It needs to be biased towards making the tech firms change their content material insurance policies, not require extra [personal identification] be uploaded to the web for age verification functions.”Dad or mum of a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old, Brisbane

“Now I must put my very own YouTube entry into restricted mode to present to them entry, or create a pretend account, which I don't need to do. My accomplice and I'll determine what my youngsters watch and what social media they've entry to. That is simply extra boomers and [members of] gen X making choices about, and interfering with, issues which can be none of their enterprise.”Dad or mum of two youngsters, Western Sydney

“Digital platforms and tech bros make billions out of content material creators’ violent delinquent materials and it's watched again and again by impressionable children. Dad and mom battle to police this and the one winners are the content material creators and the digi-tech billionaire platform homeowners.”Dad or mum of a 16-year-old son, Windsor

“Their accounts give us a historical past of what has been watched. [A ban is] unenforceable. It’s a breach of my privateness to need to register myself.”Tim, guardian of two youngsters, Blackburn

“100% [I support the ban]. The tech firms, regardless of their protestations, have confirmed themselves, again and again, to have little to little interest in making a protected atmosphere for teenagers.”Gerard, father of a 13-year-old son, Canberra

“I hem and haw about it. I’m certain that the ban shall be simply breached by the under-16s who're decided. However I additionally suppose that it’s, a minimum of, some form of proactive technique to attempt to halt children and younger teenagers from viewing inappropriate materials.”Dad or mum of a 5-year-old son, Adelaide