You could try the app "Slop detective". It's an iOS / Android app developed for kids to learn to detect AI slop. Alternatively, you can simply open slopdetective.kagi.com if you don't want to install anything. It's created by kagi.com, the company behind the search engine. They have several initiatives to fight AI slop, this educational app being one of them.
this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2026
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I am a very progressive parent. I was harassed by my parents for spending too much time on the computer and I make 6 figures working in tech now and spend 8 hours a day minimum on the computer. When I say I'm progressive I'm not exaggerating. Robotics are the future of humanity. Understanding tech is the future 6 figure job my kid will have. First and foremost I pay for YT premium to avoid the constant barrage of unreviewed ads. Secondly I take a night every week to go through her watch history and remove some videos that are questionable for the algorithm. I also block channels in the suggested area and block watched makers if they are slop or ... bad...
I also tell her she is allowed to watch shorts but ONLY if she is able to watch longer form content above all. I do not believe in tik tok and that started way before trumps cronies owned it. I believe tik tok type consumption is one of those things that will come in a fad and ease out of fad.
I also watch sometimes with her to identify Ai slop and I show her videos if I ever fall for Ai. I got really excited about a fox video the other day that turned out to be ai and I showed her and she recognized the Ai tells before I did.
This allows a kid to explore technology without pressure or fear but avoids the Ai stuff. I also have her lookup facts if I know them to be wrong. We watch a lot of dar man because its child friendly but boy fact checking those videos are a riot.
She is very smart so I rarely have to do anything now but she started yt back when those creepy vilent Elsa videos were popular. So I have been using this method for 6 years. She is a tech wiz, she is smart, made high honor roll, her focus is still intact and she does well at school.
This was also important to me. I also noticed some channels which were satire of middle schoolers would influence her behavior, so we talk about it. Then if the behavior continues ues I block the channel. Later she can watch again if she feels she is strong minded enough. Some weird pov YouTube rs were cut off for a year but have been allowed back as she is not pliable in those ways anymore.
Anyways thats the most serious and in depth answer. I hate to pay for YouTube but its the best way to keep her on a single platform with the most visibility and I can adjust the algorithm through her history
You can limit shorts in the YouTube parental settings! Just found out about this a few weeks ago
You can’t disable them completely, but you can set a time limit
You sound like a great parent, and this should ideally be how every parent teaches their kids. Trust, open discussion, and a welcoming environment for questions.
How do you block channels? Is that a premium feature?
There's an option "Don't recommend videos from this channel" when you click on three-dots of the recommended video.
Thanks! I shall try that and see if that helps.
My son is still young, almost 8, so I'm speaking for near that age level. He doesn't get unrestricted access to YouTube. If he's watching YouTube, it's with one of us present and helping him navigate it. He always wants to watch the video that's the lowest quality shit just based on the thumbnail, because they have thumbnails that stick out. I've taught him about "low quality" content and we've watched a couple so he could understand what I meant. Now, when he wants to watch something like that, I say "no, that's going to be low quality," he seems to understand and we move on to find something else.
Eventually, I'm going to let him navigate YouTube alone sometimes, and then go back and look at his watch history to see how things are going. He doesn't know watch history is a thing, nor will I ever tell him. If things go off the rails, we will guide them back to the rails slowly and nonjudgmentally
That said, we were at a restaurant the other day and a woman was there with her baby and a friend. She set that infant in a high chair with AI slop on her phone right in its face. The kid definitely didn't disturb her conversation, because it looked like a zombie. Godspeed, child
Remember that watch history has the largest impact on what recommended videos will appear in his feed.
Curating the watch history is insanely effective, I have done it for a decade and it has helped me keep my feed 92% politics free, and 98% toxic masculinity free, I never knew about Tate until I started seeing reddit posts about what a terrible person he is.
I would actually show him this when he is old enough.
My strategy about this was to remove any content I don't specifically want recommendations from, but has shifted to a more permissive stance where I will focus on removing videos that specifically harms my recommendations.
Definitely the case! I'm not always on top of this myself, but I do go in and remove anything that may poison my recommendations. At this point, I just get plants, history, and a splash of comedy. Thank you for bringing this to the fore!
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I’ve taught him about “low quality” content and we’ve watched a couple so he could understand what I meant. Now, when he wants to watch something like that, I say “no, that’s going to be low quality,” he seems to understand and we move on to find something else.
Honestly never thought about how I would teach my (hypothetical, future) kid this stuff. I have the benefit of a decade of experience learning how youtube works and living through the clickbait endemic.
I guess that's why it's so important for parents to navigate YouTube together with them. My first experience of YT was also watching cool stuff like VSauce and Lego animations with my family.
That said, we were at a restaurant the other day and a woman was there with her baby and a friend. She set that infant in a high chair with AI slop on her phone right in its face. The kid definitely didn’t disturb her conversation, because it looked like a zombie. Godspeed, child
Sometimes you see toddlers who are just playing blaring loud noises from tablets at restaurants. You also see adults&teenagers doing that on trains... I guess I would point them out to my kid afterwards and say "that's what happens when you watch too mcuh brainrot!"
He always wants to watch the video that's the lowest quality shit just based on the thumbnail, because they have thumbnails that stick out.
There's an add-on by the same guy who makes sponsorbock that replaces thumbnails (and video tittles) for more more accurate ones, maybe you want to try that.
(Disclaimer: The add-on itself is free software (as in freedom) but the developer added the restriction that after one hour trial you can either pay or wait 24h and then you can use it without restriction. It's an interesting model.)
This is good parenting. You can't always be there to guide them or restrict them, nor should you want to be. You instead help them understand how to navigate the world themselves smartly. This is true for anything, not just what they see on the internet.
nor should you want to be
Found the part most parents struggle with!
That said, we were at a restaurant the other day and a woman was there with her baby and a friend. She set that infant in a high chair with AI slop on her phone right in its face. The kid definitely didn't disturb her conversation, because it looked like a zombie.
This should be illegal, because it is harming the child. It should be viewed the same as giving it alcohol to keep it quiet.
I'm going for the hail mary pass and taking the stance that we need to send our youth back down into the mines.
We do already, it's called Minecraft.
They yearn for it!
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Only whitelist content or creators you personally have vetted with apps like YouTube kids, jellyfin, etc until you can trust their own decision making. Then share an account so that you can see watch history (and hopefully your good media choices influenced their tastes as you would share an algorithm)
You can’t and any attempt to do so will only entice them.
No reason to downvote this comment. You can't keep your kids away from everything you think is harmful. It's also not good for them, because even if you manage to do so, they won't be able to properly handle it, when they're grown up.
Explain to them what is what, what aspects about it are harmful and how to recognize if something was generated with AI or not.
Parenting isn't about shielding your kids from everything you think is bad for them, but about preparing them to handle real life and it's challenges.
I agree that if you completely take away their agency that it only makes the slop look more attractive but I also disagree that sentiment that “you can’t”. Technically it’s true. But that doesn’t mean we ought to give in to slop as parents. Low effort slop has been around since before AI. Find ways to teach the importance of genuine creative content and cultivate a preference for the real creative works with your children.
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(disclaimer: I'm not a parent, so this is just what I think I would do with a hypothetical child)
How old is the said kid? If 5 or older, I'd have a talk with them about the following points: 1. what generative AI is, 2. why it's bad/why I don't want them to watch slop, and 3. how to recognise it, all adjusted so that a kid can grasp those things.
Another thing is to make sure they don't spend all or most of their time on screens, but instead ensure that they have the resources and attention to do normal, screenless kid things.
I don't, I don't gatekeep their entertainment. I do critically discuss the content with them though.
IMHO it's more important to teach them to critically analyse what they consume.
This is what my parents did, it helped a lot. Media literacy is important!
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First, help them discover real connections, with their friends, family, volunteer work, or even work with animals.
Introduce them to good content; art, music, plays, poetry, novels, film, video games, etc. that actually make them feel or discover something.
Help them to think critically about the media they consume and they won't want entertainment to zone out to, but something that they can actually enrich themselfs with.
My kid doesnt have internet access
As in, his pc in his room has no internet
When he plays online in the living room he isnt allowed to go to the browser unless i am there to tell him what to type or which site to go on
And he has no smartphone etc, just a dumb ass nokia
My kid is 11
As a parent, screen time was a mistake.
I don't allow unsupervised watching of YouTube and all other platforms are forbidden.
Their computers are in a public space where I can see what they are doing and watching.
I also do not allow screens in their bedrooms the occasional exception being for homework not only if they can't get it done in a common room.
"If I find out you've been watching AI slop, there will be consequences. And don't think hiding it from me will make sure I don't find out. Watching slop makes people stupid in a very particular way, and you can't stop yourself from catching stupid from it, so I'll be able to tell."
It's up to you what "consequences" means in this instance. You could even reveal that the consequence was the stupidity they developed along the way, and now they have to live with that.
(By all means, modify this message to be less cold and more kind and loving. I am not good at that sort of thing.)
Your phrasing here is all but certain to achieve the opposite of your desired outcome 😂
Hard restrictions of devices based on age. No smartphones or tablets until high school. No social media until 16.
Lots of activities.
LMAO.. Ok Warren Jeffs, good luck with that.
Great way to make sure your kid gets bullied and socially excluded, resulting in lifelong trauma. Not to mention that they will then start using the internet with the media literacy of an average 70 year old and fall for everything they should've learned with parental guidance at a young age.
Well, the oldest is 14 has no bullying, went to the worlds for robotics and has a great group of friends. So maybe your fears are just your fears.
Edit: they have technology, but using a laptop during specific times has little to none of the dopamine hacking mobiles give, yet all the communication and information required.
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