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eSafety boss wants YouTube included in the social media ban. But AI raises even more concerns for kids
(theconversation.com)
this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2025
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What’s scary is that limiting kids access to social media sites that promote algorithmic content is controversial. Of course kids shouldn’t be on YouTube. There are great streaming alternatives that are suitable for kids, ABC’s iView in Australia, BBC’s iPlayer in the UK, etc.
ABC Kids is great if you've only got kids under 5.
It just stays on all day, it's generally all good content (except the petulant Peppa Pig)
But if you've got kids a bit older than that - your options are none and none. ABC really doesn't do programming for schoolage and teenage kids anymore.
Right now for example - 5:54PM Adelaide Time, we've got Kangaroo Beach followed by Octonauts on ABC Kids, great for the under 5s.
But the rest of the channels of ABC are... Antiques Roadshow and ABC News... There is programming for under 5s and over 60s. Nothing inbetween.
Do you have access to Kanopy through your local library? It's an online streaming platform with decent content.
it's funny. my kids are sweet and usually really polite. after an hour or two of unrestricted access to YouTube kids, they become unbearable selfish little fuckwads that yell and scream and kick.
so, we banned YouTube except for specific content we download and limited to 15 minutes once a week. now they're nice sweet polite kids again.
YouTube is cancer to kids development. if you have problems with your kids, I'd recommend looking at how much screen time they get with YouTube or toxic games.
You don't need the law to do that, you need a weekend of brushing up on router operation
I do need the law to step in and do that because my kids are influenced by other kids where parents don't give a shit. I've seen plenty of kids act like little fuckheads. guess what, it's all the kids in stable or wealthy families. all the poor kids don't have access to those platforms outside of school.
social media and online media has been linked with so many detriments for developing children that it's no worse than allowing kids to smoke or drink alcohol.
if parents can't be trusted to identify the dangers and take action, regulation of the problem is merited.