WHat Role Does YouTube play in the lives of Australian Families with Children? As the federal government plans to include youtube in its forthcoming ban on social media accounts for children under the age of 16, guardian readers responded to a call out of about their own kids’ us Platform and what they thought of the ban.
This is what they told us.
‘Simply Impossible to Monitor’
Parents frequently reported they were restricting their child But many said this was time-intense and nearly impossible to maintain and was concerned about what content was slipping under his radar.
“We use youtube kids and always check what they watch before we let them watch any there. Rabbit holes and the messaging in a video is often subtle and hard to screen as a parent without pre-watching everything (which is not realistic).
“The Final Reason (We Restrick Our Children’s Use) is because of my own experience with youtube as an adult. I currently Feel like I am having to actively fight against Don’t to go Would do the same with my kids. “
Marty, Father of Two Children Under 9, Brisbane
“Before we remove it, our Children would watch youtube for hours.
“I have enjoyed watching some videos with our child. Harmful Content.
Parent of Three Children who are 13, 11 and 6 years old, adelaide
“YouTube is the bane of our existence – we wish it never existed. Idea what harmful content he’s seen as there Always see to be a loophole to internet monitoring software. “
Dan, parent of a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old, melbourne
“YouTube provides next to no useful parental controls over content and the few measures they do have been to useless (having gone through the whole thing That (our son’s) raather narrow focus has kept his feed relatively free of less than ideal content, we are always concerned that he will be served up somenting totally inapprite. “
Gerrard, Father of A 13-Year-old, Canberra
“There is no Control over what they see. Even with strict settings on youtube kids, my child was automatically played horificly disguised Horoscope content disguised as Kid’s TV.”
Peter, Father of Three Children who are 2, 4 and 6 years old, Sydney
“It is simply impossible to monitor the content that is being Viewed but even through occasional glasses at the feed I can tell that my DAUNTER is Being Expeded to a Lot of Material White Beauty/Body Image stereotypes, while my son’s feeds to be more revikin/sport oriented.
Richard, Parent of a 10-Year-old and a 13-year-old, hobart
“My Children are Children and by that definition are easy by brights and dopamine-Releasing repenting reward programming. My issues with youtube is that it is a kind as a kind as a kind of poker mass. Make Money Off of Our Built in Third for Dopamine and We All Have Been Sucked In. Iold Prefer More Controls to Avoid the Rubbish Whnefiting from the Vry Good Content Available Buty Educational stuff is not the money maker, the brain draining, high energy, colorful trope is the heart of what runs this behemoth. “
Monique, Parent of an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old, bell post hill
,They can watch it for hours without breaks’
From fleeting attentions spans and hours wasted to concerns about the content that can slip under the radar of children’s youtube feeds.
“I do worry how short content impacts their ability to pay attentions and i notice that a tv or a movie definitely does not hold their their attention for as long. Transition away from screens. Learned on YouTube. “
Parent of a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, sydney
“The waste of time it actively collectively Companies caring about the wellbeing of child
Alicia, Parent of an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old, colonel light gardens
“If left to watch youtube by themeselves, as they have ecccasional at friends ‘houses’ houses, it is always Puerile, Short-ATTENTION-Span Mashup (of) Rubbish OR SCARY VICARY VICES Such AS Poppy playtime, etc.
I’m very support of the educational content in youtube, but despite having free access to this the kids just do not see to see to choose to choose it and only Watch Rubbish. “
DamienFather of a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old, sydney
“It’s has been (at times) Frustrating due to youtube being happy YouTube users. “
MattFather of a 16-year-old and an 11-year-old, ballarat
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“I Teach Ethics at a Local Public School and in a Section from Seem to grow out of this.
“I am a less concerned about ‘inappropries content’ as I am about complete valules content, and kids dos do’s don’t have the ability to discharge.”
Parent of a 15, 13 and 10-year-old, sydney
“It’s a genuine addiction, including full-on tantrums when it is restricted.”
Parent of a 16-Year-old, Brisbane, Queensland
“They can watch it for hours without breaks. So the rule we have now is one hour Sign that it was not creating positive feedback to Him.
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“My 12-YAR-old has better governance, but has been frightened by videos that have come up appearance to be for kids, but been disturbing instead … We Really Hate Hate YouTube, Thought, and Wish wasn’t there for us to conte with. “
Parent of Three Children who are 7, 10 and 12 years old, harrisdale
“He used to be able watch what he wanted, but he would only watch shorts. We found that watching these shorts all the time was effecting his mood. Found his mood to be a lot more stable. “
Kevin, Father of a 13-Year-LD, Burua
‘He Learned to Crochet from YouTube’
Many parents cited huge educational benefits from youtube, from supporting niche hobbies to allowing children a creative outlet as content creaters themsels
“I am concerned about the level of unfilted content he could easily be experted Crochet from youtube, we bot leaderned about interestional feminism and we are about to jointly learn how to weatherproof our flat. “
Single parent to a teenage son, act
“We use youtube for education (Eg ms rachel, how things are made, volcanoes, david attenborough content), Entertainment (Puffing Billy Videos, Music Videos Eg Teeny Tiny Stevies). Use youtube every day (Online Footage of Musical Performances, Tutorial Videos, other students playing students pieces, professional recordings of band pies. The history of civilization !!! ”
Parent to a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old, melbourne
“Both my sons 11 and 14 regularly use youtube for information and gaming videos. Myldest has an account where he makes videos about his ant colonies. Don’t (support the ban). Many kids are just sharing their knowledge and passions which is healthy. “
Parent of a 11-Year-old and a 14-Year-old, Sydney
“Our son uses youtube daily for his main hobby, which is stop-motion filming with Lego Setups. He has followers on his own channel. The whole thing is a really creative, productive hobby, and youtube plays a central part in it. “
Dan Arno, Father of An 11-Year-old son, Munich
‘If these companies will not regulate themselves then sometising have to be done’
Parents had a divese range of views on bener or not a ban on under-16s from having their own youtube accounts is desirable or effective, citing concurrens about private private private private Frustration that parents were unable to protect their children from harmful or excessive use without more regulation.
“I don’t support the current legislation at all. It should be bised toward making Verification purposes. “
Parent of a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old, brisbane
“Now i will have to put my own youtube access into restricted mode to them access, or create a fake account, which i do not want to do. My Partner and I will decide my childern watch and watch Social media they have access to.
Parent of Two Children, Western Sydney
“Digital platforms and tech bros make billions out of content creators Are the content creators and the Digi-tech billionaire platform owners. “
Parent of a 16-year-old son, windsor
“Their accounts give us a history of what have been told.
Tim, Parent of Two Children, Blackburn
“100% (I support the ban). The tech companies, despite their protestations, have proven themselves, over and over again, to have little little to no interest in creating a safe environment for kids.”
Gerrard, Father of A 13-Year-old Son, Canberra
“I hem and haw about it. I’m sure that the ban will be easily breached by the under-16s who are determined. Teens from Viewing inappropries Material. “
Parent of a 5-year-old son, adelaide
