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Raise your hand if you let your child watch YouTube. *Raises hand. Yes, I’m guilty of giving my kids the iPad every now and then to keep them busy while I either finish work or get a much needed break.
Every parent knows that YouTube has a lot of educational channels and content that are good for kids – such as those that feature nursery rhymes, colorful graphics, and even fun toys. On the other hand, there are channels that are obviously not for kids – those that feature violent or mature content. However, some parents are flagging 'kid-friendly' YouTube channels as not suitable for kids.
A parent asked this question in the 100k-strong Smart Parenting Village: “Anong YouTube channel ang dapat i-block sa YouTube kids? I already blocked Vlad and Nikki, Diana and Roma, Talking Tom, Talking Angela, and Talking Ben kasi panay bugbugan ginagawa nila. Ano pa ma-su-suggest niyo na i-block and why?
Here’s a list of answers from other parents and the reasons why they are not exactly recommended for kids:
Cocomelon
What is it: Cocomelon features 3D animation videos of JJ and his family or friends with both traditional and original nursery rhymes and songs.
Why it’s not recommended: Some Internet users say that Cocomelon’s fast-paced videos (scenes change every 1 to 3 seconds) are too overstimulating for young children and as such, could result in catastrophic meltdowns. A 2011 research says that fast-paced programming could impair a child’s executive function. Executive function and self-regulation skills are the “mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully,” and are skills that are crucial for learning and development.
However, experts also say that currently, there is no empirical research on Cocomelon, so “there is no data to substantiate claims that this show is overstimulating due to the pace of the scenes.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWPeppa Pig
What is it: Peppa Pig is a long-running children’s series that features the titular character with her pig family and animal friends. Each episode features a new adventure for Peppa in their town.
Why it’s not recommended: Peppa Pig has a 3-star rating on CommonSense Media, with parents saying that it’s a bad show with harmful themes such as fat shaming, disrespect, and unhealthy habits. Some parents also consider Peppa as rude, bossy, a liar, and a tattletale. Sophie Giles, a parenting and behavioral consultant also says that the show could be promoting negative behaviors to children and cites this as an example: “It is interesting how incredibly patronizing [the way Daddy Pig is spoken to] can be in the English version, how the characters stress that dialogue and how the director allowed that to happen.”
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Masha and The Bear
What is it: Masha and The Bear is loosely based on an oral folk story of the same name, featuring a little girl named Masha and a paternal bear as the main character. Masha is resourceful, smart, and can be mischievous, which sometimes gets her in trouble. The ever-present bear then saves her from disaster.
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowWhy it’s not recommended: The show’s reviews on CommonSense Media is a mixed bag. Some parents think the show’s adorable, hilarious, and entertaining. However, it is not as educational as other kiddie shows. One parent review also says that her 2-year-old child who mimics everything, has also begun to “mimic Masha’s awful behavior. She [child] tries to dictate what goes in the house and doesn’t listen.”
Considering Masha's tendency to get into mischief, she might be better suited for older children who can distinguish between good and bad behavior.
Little Princess
What is it: Little Princess is a pre-school series for young kids that’s based on the best-selling children’s picture books by award-winning author/illustrator Tony Ross. The series feature the main character – the cheeky little Princess, the only child of a loving King and Queen, who has her castle home at her disposal to play around with her beloved pets.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWWhy it’s not recommended: The show has positive reviews from parents, saying how much they enjoy it with their kids. One review says: The princess is “a typical 4 year old who throws tantrums. The difference is that the strong unit of friends and family surrounding Little Princess teach her that tantrums aren’t the answer and to look for alternative solutions. Many parents have succeeded in potty training by using Little Princess as well as getting them to eat food that they don’t like.”
However, other parents think that it’s a horrible show and is inappropriate for children, saying “The main character Little Princess is a spoiled, screaming, obnoxious, miserable 3 or 4 year old brat that doesn’t care about anything or anyone except herself and is mean to all people around her.”
“The purpose of a kids’ cartoon would be to teach the kids about real life and to have stories with morals and to teach about desirable behavior and how to recognize and deal with undesirable behaviors. This show does none of that – actually it actively encourages anti-social, mean behavior and the adult characters support this with their own behavior and speech.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWIt is worth noting that reviews for the show are evenly split between recommended and not recommended for kids.
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Diana and Roma
What is it: Diana and Roma are two siblings who go on various adventures, such as playing with slime, visiting the beach, or playing in their pool. The videos aim to entertain and 'educate' kids.
Why it’s not recommended: Parents do not recommend Diana and Roma videos for kids based on the following issues:
- Fighting: Diana and Roma bicker a lot as siblings do, but adults featured in the show, such as their father, do not seem to intervene and hence, there’s no helpful resolution of any kind.
- Product placements: Diana and Roma feature a lot of toys unboxing and product placements, which can influence kids to want more or value materialism.
- Little to no educational value: Some of the Diana and Roma videos seem to offer educational value, such as “Diana and Roma Learn to Share Toys.” However, the videos fail to deliver on its promise since most videos have little to no dialogue or storyline development.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWVlad and Niki
What is it: Vlad and Niki is a YouTube channel featuring Russian American-born siblings Vladislav, Nikita, Christian Sergey, and Alice, along with their parents Sergey and Victoria. The channel showcases the family’s adventures with a “creative mix of live-action, animation, and music to create comedic videos for preschoolers.”
Why it’s not recommended: Parents gave Vlad and Niki a 1-star rating on CommonSense Media. Reviews say that it’s just “one long commercial,” and the show exhibits “bad behavior, homophobia, weird sexism and gender roles, unkindness, and consumerism.”
Garten of Banban
What is it: Garten of Banban is actually a game by the Euphoric Brothers and is part of their controversial mascot horror genre. The character or game is also regularly featured in various YouTube content.
Why it’s not recommended: Although the game itself is set in Banbun’s kindergarten, the game’s official rating is for 9 years old and up, as it features “mild language with mild violence and minimal suggestive themes.” If the YouTube content is based on the game, it follows that the videos will have the same themes making it not exactly suitable for young kids.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWWhat other parents are reading
Rainbow Friends
What is it: Rainbow Friends is a horror-themed, hide-and-seek game that takes players through a frightening storyline featuring jumpscares and eerie effects. It’s one of the millions of unique, user-generated experiences on Roblox. Like Garten of Banban, Rainbow Friends’ characters and game play is a popular content on YouTube.
Why it’s not recommended: Since Rainbow Friends is first and foremost a horror game, it somehow follows that content based on it could feature suspenseful and violent themes. At the same time, the game itself is for bigger kids aged 12 and up.
Skibidi Toilet
What is it: Wikipedia states that Skibidi Toilet “is a series of viral YouTube Shorts… That depicts a war between the Skibidi Toilets – disembodied heads inside moving toilets which can be killed by being flushed down – and a faction of people with hardware for heads, such as cameras, loudspeakers, or televisions.”
Why it’s not recommended: First of all, they look freaky, and second, the main theme of the “series” is war. Again, not recommended for young kids.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWOf course, parenting remains the key factor. Screen time is OK, but we should still monitor and assess our child. If we see that our kids are exhibiting Peppa’s cheekiness or are hyperactive thanks to JJ, then perhaps it's time to intervene and offer a different activity.
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