Many a times we let our kids wander on YouTube or access Internet while we are busy with chores. Do you always know what your little one is watching on YouTube? Is it the harmless Bob the Builder or a nasty adult version of Bob the Builder, or Dora or whatever character your child fancies, filled with swear words and filthy language? Yes, it is true, just like cover versions of songs there are cover versions of harmless looking videos on YouTube (or Vimeo for that matter). The difference is that these cover versions have their audio altered.
Last week New Zealand Herald published this article Children discovering R-rated content on YouTube. From a harmless looking SpongeBob to a swearing SpongeBob, thanks to the Related Videos feature of YouTube.
Getting involved with your kids, checking in, making sure they are watching age appropriate content. As the article in Herald mentioned, no one wants to watch Dora for 10 hours, but having that sight and visibility helps. With the number of devices available and options to access Internet increasing everyday, the problem increases too.
Although YouTube is the favourite among the kids (and adults), outside of YouTube there is the search engine, one wrong search could lead a child to explicit websites, images or videos which could only do harm to a young mind. However, unlike YouTube some help is available there in the way of SafeSearch. Most of the search engines allow that option, however it needs to be set.
Here is what I have setup and how I manage this at home. Under no circumstances this is fool-proof, but every bit helps.
- Access to YouTube is allowed with a parent in sight
- Setup safe browsing using OpenDNS Parental Controls. It is free for personal and home use.
- Restricted user sign-in to Android tablets to allow specific apps (I am sure there is something similar for Apple).
- A dedicated kids computer, which runs an operating system customized for kids (more about this in a later post).
Colmar Brunton group did a research for NZ On Air and Broadcast Standards Authority and a very interesting finding was that by age 10 75% of children may be allowed to find content online themselves. The full report can be accessed at NZ on Air. Although the samples are from NZ, the findings may find common grounds globally.
Source: Children’s Media Use Study, NZ On Air and BSA
Safe browsing!
