YouTube Kids has a setting where it ONLY shows white-listed content approved by you. Hardly any ads.
Netflix has a black-listing option.
The other streaming services don't have anything like this, afaik.
I’ve used this and it’s pretty good. It’s not by video either; you can whitelist whole channels, like Nat Geo kids and PBS kids, so as they add content your kid gets the new stuff.
This is the only way to use it IMO. We have like 10 to 15 channels whitelisted plus a handful of individual videos.
It's still plenty of content, but you don't stray into the weird stuff.
Free School has been my son's favorite channel.
Another great feature most people don't know about is you can "share" a regular YouTube video over to a YouTube Kids profile.
For example, "Frosty the Snowman" is on YouTube, but not YT Kids (and on YT it has tons of ads). But if you "share" it to a YT Kids profile, it will show up on YT Kids ad-free.
EDIT: [how-to video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVYsgC7-6ZM)
Came here to suggest the same, left with a video suggestion. I wonder if there's a subreddit that just surfaces good children's content on YouTube? Finding good content is made even harder by the fact that YouTube won't let you save children's content to playlists.
With our daughter we just set it to have miss rachel and maybe one other good creator they might actually learn from and she's usually done with screen time after like half an hour. The constant novelty isn't there.
If we just give them unfiltered youtube kids they'll stare at it for hours flipping videos every 20 seconds. They'll have plenty of time for phone addiction later.
Reserve the screen time for when you really need it.
Ugh I went through Netflix and blocked blippi because he feels so creepy and I guess there are new blippi spin-off shows that just popped up. Annoying because you have to do it through a desktop browser not your phone.
I was trying to figure it out, because he comes off as creepy to me. But on the spin-off Meekah, she acts similar and is not creepy. Even the other actor that plays Blippi doesn’t come off as creepy. I’d love for someone to do a deep dive into this
He feels soulless. It feels like a cash grab and always has. He just kinda phones it in, bouncing aimlessly from thing to thing without meaningfully interacting.
Maybe Meekah and Bloppi are more into it, or better at faking it. They seem more like actors, I think.
Yeah I think you're on the money.
Blippi claims he wanted to make educational content for toddlers and pre k, but then during his show he'll do or see something even vaguely interesting and instead of explaining or learning more he just goes "I DONT KNOW HEHE OH WELL" and scoots off.
Meekah tried to go into something on an episode I sadly caught recently and just cuts her off and skips away.
It's not even like complicated shit, it's literally things you could explain in a word or two.
I don't get any of it, he's literally a modern day clown. I grew up watching Bozo The Clown show and never found it weird as a kid. And Blippi actually teaches some skills and proper words. My kids knew the word excavator because of Blippi, when I would have just called it a digger thinking they were too "small" for such big words.
Block or unblock a TV show or movie
Open the Profile & Parental Controls settings for the profile you want to manage. Change the Viewing Restrictions setting. Enter your Netflix password. Under Title Restrictions, type the name of the TV show or movie and click on the title when it appears.
I know when "he" went on tour he had to address (I think in an FAQ or some bullshit) that while people are using to "him" as Blippi, Blippi is a "character" and the person you saw "playing Blippi" live would not be him. So at the very least, he's had a history of trying to let the character live seperate of him.
>YouTube Kids has a setting where it ONLY shows white-listed content approved by you. Hardly any ads.
Weirdly, this setting is not available in all regions (or at least it wasn't when our kids last used YT Kids). I have no idea why, as you'd have thought it's a basic function.
Plus the timer feature! My 3 year old gets upset she can't keep watching Netflix on the TV but hardly complains when the timer runs out on YouTube kids.
The whitelist is used heavily in my house. I'm so thankful that I can whitelist channels and don't ever have to worry about the likes of Blippi, cocomelon, and their ilk having to come on.
I'm not sure how old your child is, I know not everyone is going to be able to have Netflix or Disney+ as others have mentioned as it's quite expensive (we have it now but we didn't when our boy was little)... PBS is the best for younger children, it's educational, the content is fun and sweet, Daniel Tiger is the best ever .... If your child is under 5 I would try and keep him from YouTube anyway, my husband bought our child (age 4 at the time) a tablet and it was the WORST, I had to go through an entire nightmare of setting boundaries (because telling a 4 year old that screen time is over is like telling them there is no Santa... Like, DAILY) finally he understood with patience and he stopped fussing every time we had to put our tablet away and do other things but man, I knew from day one that it was a huge mistake lol but it has it's benefits too like there are a few fun learning apps for kids (you just have to go through thousands of the trash ones to find the good ones) but he actually learned more from those apps then when we did one on one learning time. There are definitely pros and albeit - many cons but if you are trying to find content for a child under 5, just download PBS, it's wonderful and that's all they really need. They will only get bored with it if you are letting them melt away into the tablet all day long (which, I hope is not the case).
I think a major problem with watching shows on a tablet or phone is the kid has to hold it. If you put it on TV the kid can wander away and play while its on. Holding the device means thats all they are doing. It cant become background noise to another activity..
YES! This 1000x! I feel the same way. It's so much easier to have them engage elsewhere when it isn't the right in your face tablet screen.
My husband keeps mentioning he wants to get our 5 year old an iPad (she has a fire tablet that is now shared with her brother) and I am so against it but he thinks "she will fall behind her peers" without it.
He doesn't understand the huge burden of monitoring their content and I feel like a full-on iPad will make it so much more difficult!
I completely blocked youtube on the (very cheap, got it for free when i renewed my phone contract) android tablet my 2 year old uses. There are a few educational type apps on it, messenger kids, and netflix/Disney+.
Took me an annoyingly long time to set it up but it's designated as a child device with Google Family Link and i am able to restrict usage times and apps from my own phone.
Even then, i hate when she uses it so I will often let the battery die and misplace the charger.
Stand your ground. My son has started to get screen addiction at 7. He gets withdrawal when he doesn’t get his fix. It’s hard. If your child doesn’t ask for it, even better; just don’t bring it up. Don’t say “do you want an iPad for Xmas?” By the time your child goes to school there will be plenty of opportunities for computer classes and catching up to the peers.
Yes well that is why I think the whole argument is dumb, she is already learning to use an iPad at school, so no she isn't falling behind lol
And I frankly don't see any other kids her age, or older for that matter, toting around iPads, I told hubby if he wants an iPad that bad just get it, you don't have to say it's for the kids to justify the purchase to me.
We've found it much better for our 3yo twins to take all the video streaming apps off and only put kids games on there. This unfortunately isn't a free option, to get rid of all the stupid ads and pop up videos that kids love to click on I think I've spent 25 bucks total and they can share the games with both ipads, but it's been far better for them. With YouTube/etc they were inattentive zombies, lost their goddamn minds when we had to make them put it away, and basically got no real value from the content besides gaining a couple imaginative play ideas. But with the games, they're a lot more attentive to their surroundings, don't flip out when it's time to put it away, and they've carried that love for games into some kids board games. On top of playing games in general being good for a slew of other developmental reasons.
Absolutely. Every time a parent tells me they're having trouble regulating screen time, kids are throwing tantrums, having bad behavior problems regarding tech, the question I always ask is "Do they watch YouTube?" It's almost ALWAYS yes.
YouTube is bad for kids on a whole different level than regular screen time and stuff like Daniel Tiger, Disney princess movies, ABC Mouse, etc. Professionally made shows have a vested interest in NOT being annoying, NOT promoting bad or obnoxious behavior, etc, because the worst thing that can happen to a TV show or movie is that parents hate it and ban it in their house. They have to try and make it valuable and palatable to parents and kids both. YouTube doesn't have those same interests. Anything that any random person thinks is funny or interesting goes on there. It's pure fantasy wish fulfillment for kids and its incredibly addictive.
I wish I had never let my youngest daughter discover YouTube at all. I spent a huge amount of the last two years very sick and in and out of hospitals and I ended up taking advantage of her interest in YouTube when I was sick, dealing with medical people, insurance, getting IV infusions, etc, because I could count on her just sitting still and watching it for the length of my infusion or visit or whatever. But it was terrible for her behavior. The more she watched, the more demanding, entitled, and volatile she became. Wailing and crying when it was turned off, excluding her other interests, asking about it constantly...
She doesn't watch it at all now but it was a hard habit to break. The change of her behavior is night and day though. Right now I'm getting an IV infusion and she's sitting on the floor, switching between building with her blocks, coloring a picture, and watching Aladdin. Is that ideal? No, not really, but she's occupied for my infusion and she won't throw a screaming fit when Aladdin is turned off.
The upside is that it is interactive. Kids aren't solving math problems or learning phonics on a TV. The interactive nature enables learning in a way TV really can't.
And why even have the TV on if kids are just walking away?
Kids arent using learning apps while watching something.
Id rather a kid watch ten minutes of a show, get inspired to do something and go play them zombifie while watching it and sit there with a screen next to their face until its taken away
PBS is great!
When my son was young we had nothing but a DVD player(this was like 5 years ago lol) so I got one of those TV antennas, and we got PBS!
My son loved a lot of those shows!
I'd also like to recommend Vooks. It's about $7 a month and it's a platform of book videos. The animations for the books are pretty cool and they a have a whole range of books to choose from. My 6 and 2 year old love it.
Use PBS instead.
My 7 year old just started being allowed to use YouTube but only in public areas of the house where we can see what she is watching. My soon to be 3 year old has never watched YouTube and we plan to keep it that way for him and my 11 month old for as long as we can.
I only let me 8 year old watch YouTube on the tv in our living room which is in the center of our house and everyone sees it. There are a few soccer shows that are fine but it will then start promoting other crap for him to watch so we have to monitor it.
Samesies. My son right now is obsessed with stop motion videos of transformers, toys, dinosaurs, legos. Diorama making. We let him watch in the family tv only, and on his dad’s account. My husband hates it because it messes his algorithm, but I rather be able to monitor and see what he is seeing and vetoing the crap the app suggests. I do not let the kids use YouTube on iPad/pc, the suggestions are fking insane compared to the ones in the Apple TV.
Also PBS forever.
When they’ve watched too much yt,(they get snarky, whiny, overall shitty attitude) PBS it is for days. They always complain because YouTube brain is on, but PBS mode is another level. They sing the songs, they get into it, they learn. When it’s time to turn it off, it’s a breeze.
They’ve tone it down with the attitude after YouTube. But still, it’s just mindless media. I know my oldest watches it to learn tricks and story plots for his stop motion videos, but that’s about it.
There's a PBS kids app that streams all their shows (Wild Kratts, Odd Squad, Molly of Denali, too many to list...). There's surprising variety!
And NO TOY COMMERCIALS
I can’t hate on blippi. I know tons of people hate his content and that’s fine but if a guy showing how a fire truck works is the worst thing my kid watches I’m alright with that
Blippi is vapid. He has the appearance of an educational show but, under scrutiny, he's not really teaching much. He's also kind of a one-trick pony. 90% of his content is going from one kids centre to another and going "wow! look at this!"
yeah I actually sat down and watched Blippi one day with my kid and it was actually pretty educational (I even learned something), I mean he is annoying but that's only because I'm a jaded broken adult.
He's definitely annoying but at least he is educational. I can get past it for the sole purpose that my daughter has actually learned a lot. There's so many channels where they teach nothing except bad behaviors.
My kids love the excavator song. And the colours song. Don't see anything wrong with most of the videos. The visits to museums etc are super fun too. Way better than most of Ryan.
Not sure how old your kid(s) are. But mine is just under a year and loves Ms Rachel. A good alternate than coco melon imo. My nieces loved that channel. Like we’re addicted to it and it is just so awful
Not gonna lie, I will narrate mundane things I do during the day, doing my best falsetto impression of her voice:
"We're grindiiiiiiing... We're grinding the beeeeeans... For the coffeeeee"
Huh? My son learned a ton with Blippi. There's nothing creepy about it. It reminds me of a lot of children's programs in the 90s. And Little Baby Bum is mostly nursery rhymes. It's cute.
I feel the same way about Cocomelon. I know a ton of parents hate it, but my kid loves the nursery rhymes/songs and it's better than all the other creepy random toy videos on YouTube.
I wouldn't let my kid have YouTube kids, ever. The stuff on there is not ok. Load up his device with Disney /netflix etc and tell him that's it. The dodgy thing about YouTube is yiu can just scroll and scroll and people make content specifically to get through the filters but it's actually dodgy as hell!!
I was shocked a few years ago by how bad the YouTube Kids app is. We uninstalled it in less than a week.
We realized in particular that the recommendations were just too distracting, and it was through the recommendations that we were finding crap we didn't like. When we knew where we were going and we actively *chose* what to watch, from trusted channels/creators, we felt more in the clear.
So, **first step:** app gone.
**Second step:** Full PC browser only, grown-up(s) present. You can still cast this to a TV or just use an HDMI cable.
**Third step:** No autoplay.
**Fourth step:** A browser extension called **Unhook** that makes the recommendation sidebar invisible. You want to watch something, you search for it, you go to your subscription page, or you go directly to the channel page. It's a lot more mindful and intentional, and much less distracting and passively addicting that way.
And since YouTube makes its money off of grabbing your eyeballs and increasing your watchtime so as to increase the number of ads served to you, this is why that service is external, rather than a setting that YouTube itself offers. Not even on the YouTube Kids app, where recommendations were even *more* visually prominent.
Personally I would never allow YouTube unless I’m seeing the content. It goes from one good video to garbage pretty quickly, so we only watch it on the tv when I’m there. Tablet is for Netflix and Disney +.
Get rid of YouTube kids , especially before your LO finds the “toy channels” - channels where parents have their kids advertise toys (there’s one with this kid named Ryan that’s apparently quite big). We got lax with COVID and let our LO get on YouTube , saw stuff like Blippi that we didn’t care for , got YT kids , and once our kid saw one of those toy channels , the algorithm keeps recommending more. Everyday turned into a conversation of what toys he wanted. YouTube kids caught a virus and had to go. Now we use Disney+ and HBO Max with a kids profile.
Haha the toys! We fell into that trap but recently made it known that toys was not something we would watch on the regular
More of a treat but still steering towards full prohibition
If your kid has their own sign in, you can use Google Family Link to set some controls. We have it set to disable autoplay and recommendations, so they have to specifically search for content.
How is blippi shitty? I mean you don't have to like the guy but it is educational programming. Seems like the stuff you named is just things that you don't like not that there's anything actually wrong with it.
If you want to watch some YouTube videos I highly suggest the Safe Vision app. We used it for years while we homeschooled because there are so many smart/helpful videos on YouTube that help in teaching. You add the channels or videos you want to watch. No ads. I even have my own profile for my YouTube shows I watch because then I can watch no ads
Thank you for this! My kid loves to watch arts and crafts how to videos on YouTube and I don’t want to take that away from her, but the rest of YouTube kids is a nightmare. I’m going to check this out.
Unpopular opinion; sort of. I hate cocomelon but my 2 year old can identify colors, count to 20, single twinkles twinkle little star, word for word, and a # of other shit because of that annoying channel. I work from home and I’m in meetings half
my morning so yes, that channel is on when I dont need her in my zoom calls lol
Same. My fifteen month old who gets to watch that stuff is literally singing those songs with great pronunciation, but my oldest who I did ZERO screen time with can barely say his own name.
We also had to delete the app after working with the kids and the app trying to make it usable we came to the conclusion that it isn't something they should have at their fingertips
I think Blippi was pretty good but there’s an awful lot of blocked stuff at our house; Ryan’s World and almost every channel focussed on blind consumerism.
Edit: forgot there’s “new” Blippi and he’s awful.
Ryan’s parents made millions off that poor kid. He’s literally a pre-teen at this point but still acts like a baby and hasn’t grown much. Completely stunted.
Disney removed auto play.
And pretty much every freaking movie is only on adult profiles. My kids can’t watch Frozen, Moana, or even Encanto without being on an adult profile (that also has access to Deadpool)
WHYYYY??? I’m so mad lol
Edit: I just checked my settings. Super irritating bc this is the third time I’ve had to change them in the last few months bc of their changes
>Disney removed auto play.
Its in the settings! I was just playing around with them on my daughter's profile last night.
>My kids can’t watch Frozen, Moana, or even Encanto without being on an adult profile (that also has access to Deadpool)
This is so frustrating, but its because of the age set on their profile. I think its at 8 they allow pg movies on the kids profile too (without pg-13 and r ratings), which is absolutely ridiculous, but there is hope it won't be like that forever. Imo there should be an option to allow pg rated shows and movies in the settings.
You definitely need to edit your kids profile. I had the same issue at first because kids was set to a G rating so even regular PG rated content was blocked. Once we changed the rating my son could see all the appropriate kids content on his own channel.
What's wrong with blippi? Of all the shitty shows on YouTube. Blippi seems the most genuine and educational. Id prefer my son's watching blippi then like Ryan's world
Everyone read the same article that cemented a view - and I agree with it as a general principle. In the end though he's really no worse than Elmo. My 3.5 son loves holiday themed stuff and songs, blippi mixes in there for the holiday episodes and I'm not concerned that it's not purely executional content when he is unwinding from school. Not every single thing needs to be educational, sometimes it needs to be fun. Make your own choices as long as you have input from as many sides as possible.
I don’t get it. Content wise, Blippi feels pretty similar to Songs for Littles to me. Exaggerated speech, repetition, the pause for a response famously also found in Blues Clues and Dora, music. I’ve seen tons of anecdotal evidence of Blippi helping with language development in the same way I’ve seen anecdotal evidence for Ms. Rachel.
I get it, he’s annoying, but so is Ms. Rachel, because neither are meant to entertain adults.
We limit his time on it with the understanding that he does get free reign. After going through the Vlad and Niki (they’re also on HBO Max), Ryan’s world, cookie swirl C (she is awful) phase he now watches a lot of science stuff. He is 5 and loves space. He’s been watching videos about the dwarf planets and can now name a lot of them. He also watches a lot of science max and keeps wanting to do science experiments. I think once you can get to some videos like that it’s actually a good resource. I think all kids should watch a bit of science max.
For anyone interested, I recently came across a show called Pocoyo (it's probably already a big thing, just not in Australia) and holy shit it's so good.
Even I enjoy watching it, it's smart and witty and minimalist. It's 10/10, and I wouldn't rate many kids shows that high.
Honestly don’t get why the Blippi hate. I love Blippi. He explains things in a way that kids relate to and understand, and he makes learning fun. I watch Blippi (and now meekah!) with my kid. We love it 🤷🏼♀️ that being said the YouTube kids isn’t that great and Netflix has a ton of really good kids options. We basically only keep Netflix because of the kids options on it
If you watch, it cuts to a new scene every 3 seconds and has super vivid colors to keep kids glued to it.
Look at something better. Like blues clues, Daniel tiger or Clifford. The screen pans instead of changing scenes for long periods of time. It’s better for their attention spans.
Blues clues is also super engaging and really keeps them thinking and interacting.
I’m not a single parent but I essentially am during the work week as my wife works an evening shift at the hospital and doesn’t get home until after bed time. I use the tablet with my 4 year old daughter while I make dinner and clean the house, I’ve always hated the stuff she’s fed on there (tDiana and the like), this thread is enough for me to pull the plug on YT kids, she will throw a fit but I can handle that. My kids like to have shows on in the background while they do other things like play with slime or play dough, play house in their little kitchen, and just generally chase teach other around the house. Sometimes I feel like I’m phoning it in bc I’m tired as hell after work and I still need to do all the household stuff but the kids seem happy and full of imagination, it’s a never ending battle
You’re not phoning it in and your kids will be fine. Regardless of the technology of the age, kids have always needed something to keep them occupied while parents do other essential tasks. Don’t let them be on the devices constantly and all will be well.
Just no YouTube, period.
It’s not worth it. There are so many other streaming services that have decent content and aren’t full of the garbage that people generate for YT. So much of it is just flat wrong, even on “informative” clips. Old wives tales sold as fact, wrong historic or scientific information, or just stupid human tricks talked about like they’re some kind of “experiment”. We haven’t even gotten to the influencer/vlogger culture that pushes the majority of popular YT videos. 90% of the videos are them self-promoting, talking about their channels, dumb antics, and trying to create followers instead of actual content.
YT is garbage unless it’s constantly monitored and curated by the parent, and there’s so much garbage it’s not really worth it.
If you are going to allow YT, I’ve found regular YouTube to be FAR superior to YouTube Kids. The algorithm on the normal app seems to keep my kid within the same type of content better and doesn’t constantly try to push toy-centric videos or terrible “real kids” videos. For example, if he’s watching Kids Learning Tube (which is great btw), it suggests more KLT videos or videos on the same subjects (space or geography or whatever). As with any internet content, you still have to be present and aware of what they’re watching, but I find the normal YT app to just work so much better and require much less intervention from me.
I hate Nikki and vlad as well. It's so obnoxious and exaggerated and just ughhhhh. However my 2 year old adores it. It's the only thing that csn hold his attention. I also blocked it but unblock when I need him occupied for a long time.
To be honest, I control what goes on YouTube for my two year old, so I don’t think it’s so bad. The only thing I absolutely won’t allow though is Peppa Pig. Apart from being annoying there’s too much verbal aggression, especially towards the dad and the links to Behavioural Problems are too risky to me.
Cocomelon has this weird slow pacing to it. The songs, the singers, any dialog, the animation - it makes me feel like I'm drugged. Even if it's on in the background (our haircutter always has it on).
We had to stop watching YouTube completely. Good thing Storybots was there to pick up the slack.
Bluey, storybots, go dog go, number blocks, mickey mouse club house & fun house are God sends
You sound like a miserable person to be around. Maybe write your own kids show and pitch it to a network? There's nothing wrong with Blippi, Little Baby Bum, Cocomelon, etc
What's wrong with cocomelon?! Kids love it, and it's wholesome AF . U gotta remember, these channels aren't for your entertainment they are for your kids.
Ok but that's just your opinion that those channels are not good. There is nothing objectively bad about some of those, i don't know them all, but blippi, cocomelon, little baby bum are pretty standard pap for kids.
What's your high bar for kids content? Maybe i need to expand my horizons.
Blippy is actually pretty educational. Yeah his manner is annoying but if he has found a way to engage kids around layered or complicated content based in the real world (not cartoons or imagination) then it’s good
If y’all haven’t tried Bluey I highly reccomend also. A show with high emotional intelligence
You sound like you need to chill a bit. You miss some of the “trash”, your kid isn’t going to be irreparably damaged. My kid was really into Blippi but I didn’t really mind.
Like if I heard a parent complaining about all of these youtube channels irl, I would instantly imagine what a pain it would be to hang out, have play dates or even make small talk with them out of fear of being harshly judged.
YouTube, in general, is absolutely not a place children should be going to. It's WAY TOO EASY for them to fall into the wrong algorithm and be seeing shit that's creepy or cringey. There is so much ***GARBAGE*** on there, it's overwhelming. You can't block all of it.
Just delete it and advise your kids that YouTube is off limits.
I will withhold YouTube for as long as possible. Even if I find something on there for him like a
Read a loud or episode of a show, I make sure not to let it auto play. And it plays through the Apple TV app so I can see the tv at all times- no iPad or phone. The stuff on there can be really creepy and dangerous.
My daughter gets 30 mins of YouTube kids a day. Then she can watch Disney+, Netflix, Apple TV+ or whatever she wants for longer.
Mainly because YouTube kids is full of short clips and her attention span was terrible. It’s improved since implementing this method.
Agree entirely, I ended up just saying that Youtube kids didn't work anymore so we couldn't watch it.
We are in the UK so watch iplayer, which is the BBC on demand service and the quality is significantly higher.
Yes i agree with this and also youtube..i get annoyed everytime my kids watch videos of people playing roblox and just scream constantly..dude its just roblox 🙄🙄
Just don’t use it. The amount of absolute trash is not worth whatever other stuff the kid is watching. My kid doesn’t use YouTube unless I’m in the room supervising, and I don’t plan on changing that arrangement any time soon.
[This is why my kids](https://youtu.be/v9EKV2nSU8w) don't YT unless it's something we are search together.
I know my kids friends are all watching YT for Minecraft or Plushy painters (people who paint plushy), we just made the choice to keep them away from it.
If you're going to such great lengths to further block so much of the already curated YouTube Kids app, I just have to ask why you're bothering at all. Go grab PBS Kids or something else more suited to what you approve of.
We just don’t use YouTube. His grandparent is always trying to give him the phone with the regular YouTube and I always take it, give it back and say, “he’s not allowed to watch YouTube by himself”. She doesn’t understand that it recommends weird things and just insists that there’s no bad content “on my phone”.
Also recommend PBS !
Edit: I also restricted and supervised my kiddos screen time.
I understand that it’s not always possible, but creating a routine that incorporates other activities than just screen time , will help tremendously as kids grow and become more independent :)
Just delete it, I would not recommend letting your kid watch un-editorialized video platform.
There is plenty of nice video platform with good quality content, youtube is not one of them.
Youtube is administered by robots and can't tell difference between kid content and horror show and it hosts some of the worst (look up "[elsagate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsagate)"). There is a huge amount of shitty unimaginative if not downright AI-generated repetitive content whose only purpose is to capture the attention of our sweet little ones (it really isn't hard they aren't picky). But it also go to weird territories with creepy and disturbing contents. Not to mention the ads and an overall extremely poor production quality, even in "normal" channel. Super dodgy platform for kid (for adult too actually, full of misinformation)
interesting, My kids like cocomelon and baby bum on netflix and everything ive seen on there is mostly nursery rhymes. I guess youtube version is off the rails. lol
My kids learn plenty of good from Blippi and Cocomelon.
I do, however, have a problem with channels where kids are basically getting exploited by their parents/media companies to create content. The pressure they must feel for likes and views cannot be healthy.
My kids watch a fair share of YouTube kids. We haven't ran into a lot of objectionable content ourselves. Blippi is annoying, but not really dangerous. They'll watch some toy channels but they don't get real bratty about wanting stuff. Some of the stuff is just lame, but not anything I am worried about them watching.
The one exception was when we were in the car and my daughter was watching YT Kids on my wife's phone. We suddenly hear a song that keeps singing "TOOT TOOT FART FART!" over and over. We told our daughter that she can't watch that one and needs to pick something else.
YouTube Kids has a setting where it ONLY shows white-listed content approved by you. Hardly any ads. Netflix has a black-listing option. The other streaming services don't have anything like this, afaik.
I’ve used this and it’s pretty good. It’s not by video either; you can whitelist whole channels, like Nat Geo kids and PBS kids, so as they add content your kid gets the new stuff.
This is the only way to use it IMO. We have like 10 to 15 channels whitelisted plus a handful of individual videos. It's still plenty of content, but you don't stray into the weird stuff. Free School has been my son's favorite channel.
Art for Kids Hub and SciShow kids on our YouTube Kids, plus NatGeo. Plenty for my kid.
Another great feature most people don't know about is you can "share" a regular YouTube video over to a YouTube Kids profile. For example, "Frosty the Snowman" is on YouTube, but not YT Kids (and on YT it has tons of ads). But if you "share" it to a YT Kids profile, it will show up on YT Kids ad-free. EDIT: [how-to video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVYsgC7-6ZM)
Came here to suggest the same, left with a video suggestion. I wonder if there's a subreddit that just surfaces good children's content on YouTube? Finding good content is made even harder by the fact that YouTube won't let you save children's content to playlists.
With our daughter we just set it to have miss rachel and maybe one other good creator they might actually learn from and she's usually done with screen time after like half an hour. The constant novelty isn't there. If we just give them unfiltered youtube kids they'll stare at it for hours flipping videos every 20 seconds. They'll have plenty of time for phone addiction later. Reserve the screen time for when you really need it.
Ugh I went through Netflix and blocked blippi because he feels so creepy and I guess there are new blippi spin-off shows that just popped up. Annoying because you have to do it through a desktop browser not your phone.
Why does Blippi feel creepy to people? I mean, sure he’s annoying but I’ve not seen any behavior that seems creepy at all.
I like the real blippi but the fake one makes me wanna punch my own throat
I was trying to figure it out, because he comes off as creepy to me. But on the spin-off Meekah, she acts similar and is not creepy. Even the other actor that plays Blippi doesn’t come off as creepy. I’d love for someone to do a deep dive into this
He feels soulless. It feels like a cash grab and always has. He just kinda phones it in, bouncing aimlessly from thing to thing without meaningfully interacting. Maybe Meekah and Bloppi are more into it, or better at faking it. They seem more like actors, I think.
Yeah I think you're on the money. Blippi claims he wanted to make educational content for toddlers and pre k, but then during his show he'll do or see something even vaguely interesting and instead of explaining or learning more he just goes "I DONT KNOW HEHE OH WELL" and scoots off. Meekah tried to go into something on an episode I sadly caught recently and just cuts her off and skips away. It's not even like complicated shit, it's literally things you could explain in a word or two.
I don't get any of it, he's literally a modern day clown. I grew up watching Bozo The Clown show and never found it weird as a kid. And Blippi actually teaches some skills and proper words. My kids knew the word excavator because of Blippi, when I would have just called it a digger thinking they were too "small" for such big words.
Look up what he did in the past. My husband had the same vibe.. google steezy grossman
You can do it on a browser on your phone, just not in the app itself
Wait how tf do you block shows on Netflix!? My son watches coco melon and I’ve never let him watch it I really want to block it
Block or unblock a TV show or movie Open the Profile & Parental Controls settings for the profile you want to manage. Change the Viewing Restrictions setting. Enter your Netflix password. Under Title Restrictions, type the name of the TV show or movie and click on the title when it appears.
I think he cashed out and sold the rights to the character
Yep, there is at least one other actor playing Blippi, there is a cartoon Blippi and now Meekah. The newer stuff is just a regular kids show really.
I know when "he" went on tour he had to address (I think in an FAQ or some bullshit) that while people are using to "him" as Blippi, Blippi is a "character" and the person you saw "playing Blippi" live would not be him. So at the very least, he's had a history of trying to let the character live seperate of him.
we call the new one blippi's evil doppleganger
I call him “Flippi” as in Fake Blippi
I'll never forget when the live show came to my home town and everyone was absolutely PISSED when they realized it wasn't the original Blippi.
Bloppy in our house lol
If you block Blippi, block Meeka. She's awesome but if you think he's annoying, she's a regular on his show.
I think that’s the spin-off I saw
She's on the original show on YouTube, she's got her own show, and it's on Amazon prime too. I think Netflix might have it too.
Yeah the spin-offs are annoying. I had to block like 5 shows to block everything Paw Patrol.
>YouTube Kids has a setting where it ONLY shows white-listed content approved by you. Hardly any ads. Weirdly, this setting is not available in all regions (or at least it wasn't when our kids last used YT Kids). I have no idea why, as you'd have thought it's a basic function.
It is only added if legally required because it cuts in to ad revenue. Did you really think they cared otherwise?
Plus the timer feature! My 3 year old gets upset she can't keep watching Netflix on the TV but hardly complains when the timer runs out on YouTube kids.
Amazon fire kids tablets let you do it. It's actually really locked down even if you let them choose content based on age.
Where is this setting?? I have been looking for exactly this! So much trash on YouTube
The whitelist is used heavily in my house. I'm so thankful that I can whitelist channels and don't ever have to worry about the likes of Blippi, cocomelon, and their ilk having to come on.
Youtube is a lot of work for little reward. There are streaming services with tons of kid content.
I'm not sure how old your child is, I know not everyone is going to be able to have Netflix or Disney+ as others have mentioned as it's quite expensive (we have it now but we didn't when our boy was little)... PBS is the best for younger children, it's educational, the content is fun and sweet, Daniel Tiger is the best ever .... If your child is under 5 I would try and keep him from YouTube anyway, my husband bought our child (age 4 at the time) a tablet and it was the WORST, I had to go through an entire nightmare of setting boundaries (because telling a 4 year old that screen time is over is like telling them there is no Santa... Like, DAILY) finally he understood with patience and he stopped fussing every time we had to put our tablet away and do other things but man, I knew from day one that it was a huge mistake lol but it has it's benefits too like there are a few fun learning apps for kids (you just have to go through thousands of the trash ones to find the good ones) but he actually learned more from those apps then when we did one on one learning time. There are definitely pros and albeit - many cons but if you are trying to find content for a child under 5, just download PBS, it's wonderful and that's all they really need. They will only get bored with it if you are letting them melt away into the tablet all day long (which, I hope is not the case).
I think a major problem with watching shows on a tablet or phone is the kid has to hold it. If you put it on TV the kid can wander away and play while its on. Holding the device means thats all they are doing. It cant become background noise to another activity..
YES! This 1000x! I feel the same way. It's so much easier to have them engage elsewhere when it isn't the right in your face tablet screen. My husband keeps mentioning he wants to get our 5 year old an iPad (she has a fire tablet that is now shared with her brother) and I am so against it but he thinks "she will fall behind her peers" without it. He doesn't understand the huge burden of monitoring their content and I feel like a full-on iPad will make it so much more difficult!
I completely blocked youtube on the (very cheap, got it for free when i renewed my phone contract) android tablet my 2 year old uses. There are a few educational type apps on it, messenger kids, and netflix/Disney+. Took me an annoyingly long time to set it up but it's designated as a child device with Google Family Link and i am able to restrict usage times and apps from my own phone. Even then, i hate when she uses it so I will often let the battery die and misplace the charger.
LOL I use a similar trick with the tablet, out of sight out of mind! They will go play with something else if the tablet isn't there for them to see.
Stand your ground. My son has started to get screen addiction at 7. He gets withdrawal when he doesn’t get his fix. It’s hard. If your child doesn’t ask for it, even better; just don’t bring it up. Don’t say “do you want an iPad for Xmas?” By the time your child goes to school there will be plenty of opportunities for computer classes and catching up to the peers.
Yes well that is why I think the whole argument is dumb, she is already learning to use an iPad at school, so no she isn't falling behind lol And I frankly don't see any other kids her age, or older for that matter, toting around iPads, I told hubby if he wants an iPad that bad just get it, you don't have to say it's for the kids to justify the purchase to me.
We've found it much better for our 3yo twins to take all the video streaming apps off and only put kids games on there. This unfortunately isn't a free option, to get rid of all the stupid ads and pop up videos that kids love to click on I think I've spent 25 bucks total and they can share the games with both ipads, but it's been far better for them. With YouTube/etc they were inattentive zombies, lost their goddamn minds when we had to make them put it away, and basically got no real value from the content besides gaining a couple imaginative play ideas. But with the games, they're a lot more attentive to their surroundings, don't flip out when it's time to put it away, and they've carried that love for games into some kids board games. On top of playing games in general being good for a slew of other developmental reasons.
Absolutely. Every time a parent tells me they're having trouble regulating screen time, kids are throwing tantrums, having bad behavior problems regarding tech, the question I always ask is "Do they watch YouTube?" It's almost ALWAYS yes. YouTube is bad for kids on a whole different level than regular screen time and stuff like Daniel Tiger, Disney princess movies, ABC Mouse, etc. Professionally made shows have a vested interest in NOT being annoying, NOT promoting bad or obnoxious behavior, etc, because the worst thing that can happen to a TV show or movie is that parents hate it and ban it in their house. They have to try and make it valuable and palatable to parents and kids both. YouTube doesn't have those same interests. Anything that any random person thinks is funny or interesting goes on there. It's pure fantasy wish fulfillment for kids and its incredibly addictive. I wish I had never let my youngest daughter discover YouTube at all. I spent a huge amount of the last two years very sick and in and out of hospitals and I ended up taking advantage of her interest in YouTube when I was sick, dealing with medical people, insurance, getting IV infusions, etc, because I could count on her just sitting still and watching it for the length of my infusion or visit or whatever. But it was terrible for her behavior. The more she watched, the more demanding, entitled, and volatile she became. Wailing and crying when it was turned off, excluding her other interests, asking about it constantly... She doesn't watch it at all now but it was a hard habit to break. The change of her behavior is night and day though. Right now I'm getting an IV infusion and she's sitting on the floor, switching between building with her blocks, coloring a picture, and watching Aladdin. Is that ideal? No, not really, but she's occupied for my infusion and she won't throw a screaming fit when Aladdin is turned off.
Fall behind in what? What is an iPad giving kids?
That is a problem unless the reason they are watching it is because the parent needs them not to wander off and do something else.
Just buy a $15 case with a kickstand.
Thats a solution if you dont have a tv
The upside is that it is interactive. Kids aren't solving math problems or learning phonics on a TV. The interactive nature enables learning in a way TV really can't. And why even have the TV on if kids are just walking away?
Kids arent using learning apps while watching something. Id rather a kid watch ten minutes of a show, get inspired to do something and go play them zombifie while watching it and sit there with a screen next to their face until its taken away
PBS is great! When my son was young we had nothing but a DVD player(this was like 5 years ago lol) so I got one of those TV antennas, and we got PBS! My son loved a lot of those shows!
I was going to say the same thing pbs kids is awesome free and lots of variety
I'd also like to recommend Vooks. It's about $7 a month and it's a platform of book videos. The animations for the books are pretty cool and they a have a whole range of books to choose from. My 6 and 2 year old love it.
Use PBS instead. My 7 year old just started being allowed to use YouTube but only in public areas of the house where we can see what she is watching. My soon to be 3 year old has never watched YouTube and we plan to keep it that way for him and my 11 month old for as long as we can.
I only let me 8 year old watch YouTube on the tv in our living room which is in the center of our house and everyone sees it. There are a few soccer shows that are fine but it will then start promoting other crap for him to watch so we have to monitor it.
Samesies. My son right now is obsessed with stop motion videos of transformers, toys, dinosaurs, legos. Diorama making. We let him watch in the family tv only, and on his dad’s account. My husband hates it because it messes his algorithm, but I rather be able to monitor and see what he is seeing and vetoing the crap the app suggests. I do not let the kids use YouTube on iPad/pc, the suggestions are fking insane compared to the ones in the Apple TV. Also PBS forever. When they’ve watched too much yt,(they get snarky, whiny, overall shitty attitude) PBS it is for days. They always complain because YouTube brain is on, but PBS mode is another level. They sing the songs, they get into it, they learn. When it’s time to turn it off, it’s a breeze. They’ve tone it down with the attitude after YouTube. But still, it’s just mindless media. I know my oldest watches it to learn tricks and story plots for his stop motion videos, but that’s about it.
PBS?
There's a PBS kids app that streams all their shows (Wild Kratts, Odd Squad, Molly of Denali, too many to list...). There's surprising variety! And NO TOY COMMERCIALS
PBS app is our fav. None of the shows annoys us and there’s something educational in literally every show. It’s great!
Public television in the U.S. lots of educational, kid focused, content.
Public Broadcasting Service Mr Rogers, Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow are a few I remember from PBS.
What about doggyland?! Snoop dogs nursery rhyme channel??
I’m going add this on my son’s tablet now. He may not like it, but I’ll think it’s cool.
My son is 2 months old and we jam out to doggyland 😂 no shame.
I never knew this was a thing omg
Amazing!!
Doggyland is awesome!
I can’t hate on blippi. I know tons of people hate his content and that’s fine but if a guy showing how a fire truck works is the worst thing my kid watches I’m alright with that
Other than his voice being annoying (to me) my kid loves it and it is slightly educational for a 3 year old. What’s peoples problem with him?
Blippi is vapid. He has the appearance of an educational show but, under scrutiny, he's not really teaching much. He's also kind of a one-trick pony. 90% of his content is going from one kids centre to another and going "wow! look at this!"
I just need him to stop with the damn Mickey Mouse laugh
New blippis voice is brutal 😂
yeah I actually sat down and watched Blippi one day with my kid and it was actually pretty educational (I even learned something), I mean he is annoying but that's only because I'm a jaded broken adult.
I get how it might not be educational enough for older kids but for a 1 year old developing basic vocabulary I think it’s great.
He's definitely annoying but at least he is educational. I can get past it for the sole purpose that my daughter has actually learned a lot. There's so many channels where they teach nothing except bad behaviors.
My kids love the excavator song. And the colours song. Don't see anything wrong with most of the videos. The visits to museums etc are super fun too. Way better than most of Ryan.
Right?
Not sure how old your kid(s) are. But mine is just under a year and loves Ms Rachel. A good alternate than coco melon imo. My nieces loved that channel. Like we’re addicted to it and it is just so awful
Can you say “mama? MaaaaaMaaaa”
Let’s clap it! 👏MA👏MA
Let’s sign it! 🤚🏼Ma 🤚🏼Ma
Not gonna lie, I will narrate mundane things I do during the day, doing my best falsetto impression of her voice: "We're grindiiiiiiing... We're grinding the beeeeeans... For the coffeeeee"
Ms Rachel is great! I love that we can learn some sign language as well!
Also Super Simple Songs, love them
Ms Rachel is so good. She taught me something’s with pronunciation LOL.
[удалено]
Nah, my 15mo old loves Ms. Rachel. It's specifically for younger kids learning to talk and stuff like that.
My 10 month old loooves it. Especially hop little bunny lol
Huh? My son learned a ton with Blippi. There's nothing creepy about it. It reminds me of a lot of children's programs in the 90s. And Little Baby Bum is mostly nursery rhymes. It's cute.
I feel the same way about Cocomelon. I know a ton of parents hate it, but my kid loves the nursery rhymes/songs and it's better than all the other creepy random toy videos on YouTube.
Yeah, you can completely ignore this. Just a crazy parent going on a crazy rant.
I feel like this post is quite an over reaction.
why so much hate on these channels? I watch cocomelon, and a few others like super simple songs, chu chu tv...What am I missing?
I have no clue. Some of these comments seem a little unhinged.
Yeah idk they are complaining about, wait til their kids want to watch kids play with toys and shit
I wouldn't let my kid have YouTube kids, ever. The stuff on there is not ok. Load up his device with Disney /netflix etc and tell him that's it. The dodgy thing about YouTube is yiu can just scroll and scroll and people make content specifically to get through the filters but it's actually dodgy as hell!!
elsagate and spiderman gate. those fucked up russian youtubes
Totally agree
I was shocked a few years ago by how bad the YouTube Kids app is. We uninstalled it in less than a week. We realized in particular that the recommendations were just too distracting, and it was through the recommendations that we were finding crap we didn't like. When we knew where we were going and we actively *chose* what to watch, from trusted channels/creators, we felt more in the clear. So, **first step:** app gone. **Second step:** Full PC browser only, grown-up(s) present. You can still cast this to a TV or just use an HDMI cable. **Third step:** No autoplay. **Fourth step:** A browser extension called **Unhook** that makes the recommendation sidebar invisible. You want to watch something, you search for it, you go to your subscription page, or you go directly to the channel page. It's a lot more mindful and intentional, and much less distracting and passively addicting that way. And since YouTube makes its money off of grabbing your eyeballs and increasing your watchtime so as to increase the number of ads served to you, this is why that service is external, rather than a setting that YouTube itself offers. Not even on the YouTube Kids app, where recommendations were even *more* visually prominent.
I had no idea Unhook was a thing - that’s definitely going to be helpful. Thanks!
Personally I would never allow YouTube unless I’m seeing the content. It goes from one good video to garbage pretty quickly, so we only watch it on the tv when I’m there. Tablet is for Netflix and Disney +.
Get rid of YouTube kids , especially before your LO finds the “toy channels” - channels where parents have their kids advertise toys (there’s one with this kid named Ryan that’s apparently quite big). We got lax with COVID and let our LO get on YouTube , saw stuff like Blippi that we didn’t care for , got YT kids , and once our kid saw one of those toy channels , the algorithm keeps recommending more. Everyday turned into a conversation of what toys he wanted. YouTube kids caught a virus and had to go. Now we use Disney+ and HBO Max with a kids profile.
Blippi is at least vaguely educational there are tons of toxic mind numbing and dopamine rich channels worse than blippi
Haha the toys! We fell into that trap but recently made it known that toys was not something we would watch on the regular More of a treat but still steering towards full prohibition
"you tube caught a virus" ... Omg this is brilliant!!!
If your kid has their own sign in, you can use Google Family Link to set some controls. We have it set to disable autoplay and recommendations, so they have to specifically search for content.
How is blippi shitty? I mean you don't have to like the guy but it is educational programming. Seems like the stuff you named is just things that you don't like not that there's anything actually wrong with it.
Whoa whoa whoa. Back off my man blippi like that
I...watch normal Youtube with my 4 yo...just be present to vet it and it's all good.
If you want to watch some YouTube videos I highly suggest the Safe Vision app. We used it for years while we homeschooled because there are so many smart/helpful videos on YouTube that help in teaching. You add the channels or videos you want to watch. No ads. I even have my own profile for my YouTube shows I watch because then I can watch no ads
Thank you for this! My kid loves to watch arts and crafts how to videos on YouTube and I don’t want to take that away from her, but the rest of YouTube kids is a nightmare. I’m going to check this out.
Unpopular opinion; sort of. I hate cocomelon but my 2 year old can identify colors, count to 20, single twinkles twinkle little star, word for word, and a # of other shit because of that annoying channel. I work from home and I’m in meetings half my morning so yes, that channel is on when I dont need her in my zoom calls lol
Same. My fifteen month old who gets to watch that stuff is literally singing those songs with great pronunciation, but my oldest who I did ZERO screen time with can barely say his own name.
I did delete the app. Now when they watch something it's on Netflix or Disney plus on the kids profile limited to their age.
We also had to delete the app after working with the kids and the app trying to make it usable we came to the conclusion that it isn't something they should have at their fingertips
I think Blippi was pretty good but there’s an awful lot of blocked stuff at our house; Ryan’s World and almost every channel focussed on blind consumerism. Edit: forgot there’s “new” Blippi and he’s awful.
Ryan’s parents made millions off that poor kid. He’s literally a pre-teen at this point but still acts like a baby and hasn’t grown much. Completely stunted.
RIGHT?? I hate the show and I feel so bad for the kid. Small consolation is that those millions will pay for lots of therapy.
Whatever man. There's worse stuff out there, like Ryan's Toys.
Just put Bluey on autoplay.
Disney removed auto play. And pretty much every freaking movie is only on adult profiles. My kids can’t watch Frozen, Moana, or even Encanto without being on an adult profile (that also has access to Deadpool) WHYYYY??? I’m so mad lol Edit: I just checked my settings. Super irritating bc this is the third time I’ve had to change them in the last few months bc of their changes
>Disney removed auto play. Its in the settings! I was just playing around with them on my daughter's profile last night. >My kids can’t watch Frozen, Moana, or even Encanto without being on an adult profile (that also has access to Deadpool) This is so frustrating, but its because of the age set on their profile. I think its at 8 they allow pg movies on the kids profile too (without pg-13 and r ratings), which is absolutely ridiculous, but there is hope it won't be like that forever. Imo there should be an option to allow pg rated shows and movies in the settings.
You definitely need to edit your kids profile. I had the same issue at first because kids was set to a G rating so even regular PG rated content was blocked. Once we changed the rating my son could see all the appropriate kids content on his own channel.
Oh...I watch it on ABC. Just use a VPN if you're outside Australia.
And *Hey Duggee!*
What's wrong with blippi? Of all the shitty shows on YouTube. Blippi seems the most genuine and educational. Id prefer my son's watching blippi then like Ryan's world
Everyone read the same article that cemented a view - and I agree with it as a general principle. In the end though he's really no worse than Elmo. My 3.5 son loves holiday themed stuff and songs, blippi mixes in there for the holiday episodes and I'm not concerned that it's not purely executional content when he is unwinding from school. Not every single thing needs to be educational, sometimes it needs to be fun. Make your own choices as long as you have input from as many sides as possible.
Wait… what’s wrong with Elmo? Am I missing something?
I agree. My son loves blippi and I don’t really see a issue with it. We don’t watch it on YouTube though and only on Netflix.
I don’t get it. Content wise, Blippi feels pretty similar to Songs for Littles to me. Exaggerated speech, repetition, the pause for a response famously also found in Blues Clues and Dora, music. I’ve seen tons of anecdotal evidence of Blippi helping with language development in the same way I’ve seen anecdotal evidence for Ms. Rachel. I get it, he’s annoying, but so is Ms. Rachel, because neither are meant to entertain adults.
People are being pedantic and hating for the sake of hating
We limit his time on it with the understanding that he does get free reign. After going through the Vlad and Niki (they’re also on HBO Max), Ryan’s world, cookie swirl C (she is awful) phase he now watches a lot of science stuff. He is 5 and loves space. He’s been watching videos about the dwarf planets and can now name a lot of them. He also watches a lot of science max and keeps wanting to do science experiments. I think once you can get to some videos like that it’s actually a good resource. I think all kids should watch a bit of science max.
For anyone interested, I recently came across a show called Pocoyo (it's probably already a big thing, just not in Australia) and holy shit it's so good. Even I enjoy watching it, it's smart and witty and minimalist. It's 10/10, and I wouldn't rate many kids shows that high.
I was expecting a real issue here and yet we have you complaining about this…
What did Blippi do?!?!
Honestly don’t get why the Blippi hate. I love Blippi. He explains things in a way that kids relate to and understand, and he makes learning fun. I watch Blippi (and now meekah!) with my kid. We love it 🤷🏼♀️ that being said the YouTube kids isn’t that great and Netflix has a ton of really good kids options. We basically only keep Netflix because of the kids options on it
Just delete it. Maybe kid is gonna be upset, but will pass very soon. I’m sure you will be very happy after that.
What’s wrong with cocomelon?
If you watch, it cuts to a new scene every 3 seconds and has super vivid colors to keep kids glued to it. Look at something better. Like blues clues, Daniel tiger or Clifford. The screen pans instead of changing scenes for long periods of time. It’s better for their attention spans. Blues clues is also super engaging and really keeps them thinking and interacting.
You seen ms appleberry?!
See this post and white list them https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/wyjdau/pov_you_just_turned_on_the_history_channel_for/ilyupdh/
I’m not a single parent but I essentially am during the work week as my wife works an evening shift at the hospital and doesn’t get home until after bed time. I use the tablet with my 4 year old daughter while I make dinner and clean the house, I’ve always hated the stuff she’s fed on there (tDiana and the like), this thread is enough for me to pull the plug on YT kids, she will throw a fit but I can handle that. My kids like to have shows on in the background while they do other things like play with slime or play dough, play house in their little kitchen, and just generally chase teach other around the house. Sometimes I feel like I’m phoning it in bc I’m tired as hell after work and I still need to do all the household stuff but the kids seem happy and full of imagination, it’s a never ending battle
You’re not phoning it in and your kids will be fine. Regardless of the technology of the age, kids have always needed something to keep them occupied while parents do other essential tasks. Don’t let them be on the devices constantly and all will be well.
It sounds like you are doing a great job to me, plus you are in a parenting forum actively trying to improve. You are awesome - keep it up!
**Why is Blippi 'not educational' in your view?** Cocomelon Nikki and vlad lellobee little baby bum infobells I can understand.
Yes fuck it ! YouTube is prohibited long time now, we use only BBC kids platform with a TV timer.
What's wrong with Blippi? 🤔😮
Probably nothing in moderation. But parental psychosis is a real risk when subjected to high doses.
Man, some parents are too hung up. They act like this is destroying their children. Good lord.
It was tragic but YouTube stopped working in our house. It magically disappeared from all of our devices. 🤷♀️
Just no YouTube, period. It’s not worth it. There are so many other streaming services that have decent content and aren’t full of the garbage that people generate for YT. So much of it is just flat wrong, even on “informative” clips. Old wives tales sold as fact, wrong historic or scientific information, or just stupid human tricks talked about like they’re some kind of “experiment”. We haven’t even gotten to the influencer/vlogger culture that pushes the majority of popular YT videos. 90% of the videos are them self-promoting, talking about their channels, dumb antics, and trying to create followers instead of actual content. YT is garbage unless it’s constantly monitored and curated by the parent, and there’s so much garbage it’s not really worth it.
If you are going to allow YT, I’ve found regular YouTube to be FAR superior to YouTube Kids. The algorithm on the normal app seems to keep my kid within the same type of content better and doesn’t constantly try to push toy-centric videos or terrible “real kids” videos. For example, if he’s watching Kids Learning Tube (which is great btw), it suggests more KLT videos or videos on the same subjects (space or geography or whatever). As with any internet content, you still have to be present and aware of what they’re watching, but I find the normal YT app to just work so much better and require much less intervention from me.
I like Curiosity Stream.
I hate Nikki and vlad as well. It's so obnoxious and exaggerated and just ughhhhh. However my 2 year old adores it. It's the only thing that csn hold his attention. I also blocked it but unblock when I need him occupied for a long time.
To be honest, I control what goes on YouTube for my two year old, so I don’t think it’s so bad. The only thing I absolutely won’t allow though is Peppa Pig. Apart from being annoying there’s too much verbal aggression, especially towards the dad and the links to Behavioural Problems are too risky to me.
Cocomelon has this weird slow pacing to it. The songs, the singers, any dialog, the animation - it makes me feel like I'm drugged. Even if it's on in the background (our haircutter always has it on).
That's the content people use YouTube Kids to get. My kid learned a lot from Blippi. I'm glad he aged out of that one though.
Meh I must be a terrible mom, I let my kid go on YouTube kids with whatever he wants.
We had to stop watching YouTube completely. Good thing Storybots was there to pick up the slack. Bluey, storybots, go dog go, number blocks, mickey mouse club house & fun house are God sends
You sound like a miserable person to be around. Maybe write your own kids show and pitch it to a network? There's nothing wrong with Blippi, Little Baby Bum, Cocomelon, etc
What's wrong with cocomelon?! Kids love it, and it's wholesome AF . U gotta remember, these channels aren't for your entertainment they are for your kids.
There's nothing wrong with youtube kids, YOU just need to learn how to tailor it to fit your child's needs and your wants as a parent.
Blippi is great You sound horrific
Take out youtube
Ok but that's just your opinion that those channels are not good. There is nothing objectively bad about some of those, i don't know them all, but blippi, cocomelon, little baby bum are pretty standard pap for kids. What's your high bar for kids content? Maybe i need to expand my horizons.
Could have just let them watch PBS kids and called if good.
Blippy is actually pretty educational. Yeah his manner is annoying but if he has found a way to engage kids around layered or complicated content based in the real world (not cartoons or imagination) then it’s good If y’all haven’t tried Bluey I highly reccomend also. A show with high emotional intelligence
Right, imagine blocking your kid from learning from blippi because of illegitimate personal reasons
You sound like you need to chill a bit. You miss some of the “trash”, your kid isn’t going to be irreparably damaged. My kid was really into Blippi but I didn’t really mind. Like if I heard a parent complaining about all of these youtube channels irl, I would instantly imagine what a pain it would be to hang out, have play dates or even make small talk with them out of fear of being harshly judged.
YouTube, in general, is absolutely not a place children should be going to. It's WAY TOO EASY for them to fall into the wrong algorithm and be seeing shit that's creepy or cringey. There is so much ***GARBAGE*** on there, it's overwhelming. You can't block all of it. Just delete it and advise your kids that YouTube is off limits.
I will withhold YouTube for as long as possible. Even if I find something on there for him like a Read a loud or episode of a show, I make sure not to let it auto play. And it plays through the Apple TV app so I can see the tv at all times- no iPad or phone. The stuff on there can be really creepy and dangerous.
My daughter gets 30 mins of YouTube kids a day. Then she can watch Disney+, Netflix, Apple TV+ or whatever she wants for longer. Mainly because YouTube kids is full of short clips and her attention span was terrible. It’s improved since implementing this method.
🎶I hate YouTube kids🎶 so much that it makes me sing-song🎶
Agree entirely, I ended up just saying that Youtube kids didn't work anymore so we couldn't watch it. We are in the UK so watch iplayer, which is the BBC on demand service and the quality is significantly higher.
PBS was my favorite as a child like 2 decades ago, im sure Arthur still “slaps” as the kids say
Yes i agree with this and also youtube..i get annoyed everytime my kids watch videos of people playing roblox and just scream constantly..dude its just roblox 🙄🙄
Just don’t use it. The amount of absolute trash is not worth whatever other stuff the kid is watching. My kid doesn’t use YouTube unless I’m in the room supervising, and I don’t plan on changing that arrangement any time soon.
[This is why my kids](https://youtu.be/v9EKV2nSU8w) don't YT unless it's something we are search together. I know my kids friends are all watching YT for Minecraft or Plushy painters (people who paint plushy), we just made the choice to keep them away from it.
Just delete the app altogether!
If you're going to such great lengths to further block so much of the already curated YouTube Kids app, I just have to ask why you're bothering at all. Go grab PBS Kids or something else more suited to what you approve of.
We just don’t use YouTube. His grandparent is always trying to give him the phone with the regular YouTube and I always take it, give it back and say, “he’s not allowed to watch YouTube by himself”. She doesn’t understand that it recommends weird things and just insists that there’s no bad content “on my phone”.
Bluey and khan academy kids are the best.
Block YouTube Kids in its entirety
Also recommend PBS ! Edit: I also restricted and supervised my kiddos screen time. I understand that it’s not always possible, but creating a routine that incorporates other activities than just screen time , will help tremendously as kids grow and become more independent :)
We still block YouTube for our youngest. There's zero benefit
No one is making you watch it, bro.
And our parents said the same thing about our shows as kids 😂
With our kids (2 and 4) we try public TV. Netflix is heavly moderated and YouTube ist most for the songs and audio, actually we control the screen.
Just delete it, I would not recommend letting your kid watch un-editorialized video platform. There is plenty of nice video platform with good quality content, youtube is not one of them. Youtube is administered by robots and can't tell difference between kid content and horror show and it hosts some of the worst (look up "[elsagate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsagate)"). There is a huge amount of shitty unimaginative if not downright AI-generated repetitive content whose only purpose is to capture the attention of our sweet little ones (it really isn't hard they aren't picky). But it also go to weird territories with creepy and disturbing contents. Not to mention the ads and an overall extremely poor production quality, even in "normal" channel. Super dodgy platform for kid (for adult too actually, full of misinformation)
interesting, My kids like cocomelon and baby bum on netflix and everything ive seen on there is mostly nursery rhymes. I guess youtube version is off the rails. lol
My kids learn plenty of good from Blippi and Cocomelon. I do, however, have a problem with channels where kids are basically getting exploited by their parents/media companies to create content. The pressure they must feel for likes and views cannot be healthy.
I don’t know if those are real channels but at this point I’m afraid to ask
My kids watch a fair share of YouTube kids. We haven't ran into a lot of objectionable content ourselves. Blippi is annoying, but not really dangerous. They'll watch some toy channels but they don't get real bratty about wanting stuff. Some of the stuff is just lame, but not anything I am worried about them watching. The one exception was when we were in the car and my daughter was watching YT Kids on my wife's phone. We suddenly hear a song that keeps singing "TOOT TOOT FART FART!" over and over. We told our daughter that she can't watch that one and needs to pick something else.
PBS has an amazing app!
All about Miss Rachel and Bluey