YouTube Kids Is Finally Cracking Down on All Those Creepy Videos
If your kids are fans of the YouTube Kids app, you’ve likely come across some really sketchy content. While the point of the app was to filter videos from regular YouTube to protect children, it hasn’t necessarily worked. YouTube Kids is full of videos that appear innocent, but are actually full of weird and creepy stuff. Now, YouTube Kids is cracking down on making the platform safer for kids.
A new policy was announced last week that will put age-restrictions on videos that feature “inappropriate use of family entertainment characters.”
The unofficial videos look fine, but the content and language are pretty bad. “Dark Peppa” is one of the types of videos being targeted. They look just like normal Peppa Pig videos. But instead of playing with George, Peppa gets tortured at the dentist or chased by zombies. So one day your kid is minding their business, catching up on Peppa, and suddenly they’re watching cartoon torture porn.
YouTube Kids is cracking down on these and other types of videos on their platform. The creepy videos are disguised as Peppa Pig, Thomas the Train, Frozen, and more.
Juniper Downs, YouTube’s director of policy, said in a statement, “Earlier this year, we updated our policies to make content featuring inappropriate use of family entertainment characters ineligible for monetisation. We’re in the process of implementing a new policy that age restricts this content in the YouTube main app when flagged. Age-restricted content is automatically not allowed in YouTube Kids. The YouTube team is made up of parents who are committed to improving our apps and getting this right.”
We’re glad YouTube is addressing the major flaw with their kid’s platform. But as always, parents need to do their due diligence and monitor what their kids are watching. If you come across an inappropriate video, flag it in the app for review. And it’s always a good idea to enable Restricted Mode on apps your kids use regularly. You can watch one of the bad videos below, to get an idea of what your kids could come across.
Also read:
- ‘DaddyOFive’ YouTube Parents Face Up to 5 Years in Prison for Child Neglect
- This Viral Photo of a Baby With Long Fingernails Is the Scariest Thing You’ll See All Day
- Mom Hero Reminds Us That We Don’t Have to Entertain Our Kids 24/7
(Image: YouTube)
