Since its debut in 2005 as a website designed for the general public to upload any kind of video they desired, YouTube has grown to be a plethora of both explicit and kid-friendly entertainment. Because it uses videos as its main form of content and frequently features celebrities like Mr. Beast and Logan Paul, it has risen to the top of Apple’s list of most-downloaded apps, competing with Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.
It was recently discovered that the YouTube Kids app, in particular, might be exposing kids to violent and sexual content that isn’t often found in apps targeted to their age group.
Today reported that several worried parents have expressed their concerns about the YouTube Kids app’s performance in removing objectionable content for its young users, which has frequently included objectionable videos.
These videos can include graphic violence and sexual content that has managed to get past YouTube’s stringent filtering. Parents worry that exposing their kids to such photos and videos would stunt their development and force them to have difficult conversations about subjects with which they may not be ready. As a result, many parents have decided to erase the app from their smartphones completely.
Many of the YouTube Kids videos that have gotten past the filters feature animated snippets of well-known characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney, and Pixar, as well as the DC Extended Universe.
The Joker and Venom appear to be firing rounds of bullets at innocent bystanders in parts of these scenes, which is far too violent for young viewers seeking to watch a straightforward animated video of their favourite superheroes. Another issue with this is that, despite being a member of the MCU, Venom appears in the PG-13 movie of the same name starring Tom Hardy, which many kids watching YouTube Kids might not be familiar with.
However, it appears that YouTube Kids may be employing a strategy to market a number of their films to an unaware audience, which may include the usage of well-known animated characters that kids like, such as Mickey Mouse and the sisters from Frozen. Kids are more likely to click on the videos and watch them for the content if they feature these characters in their clips. Despite the fact that many of these videos feature well-known Disney characters, it seems that many of them are unpleasant in nature.