Dr Tamasine Preece gives insight about the power that YouTubers now have on children who look to them for advice on issues they’re most concerned about.
Many of the concerns regarding YouTube are not dissimilar from those expressed towards other sites such as Facebook, Instagram and SnapChat. Content can often include strong language and problematic content relating to pornography, hate crime, bullying, self-harm and suicide. Young people who communicate with others via the comment boxes underneath a video can be abused and threatened with violence.
To help children stay safe parents should take the time to activate parental locks on all Internet-enabled devices as well as initiating age-restrictions on the young person’s YouTube account. Users usually have to verify the age in order to view adult content but the content is unrestricted after it is uploaded until it is reported to or noticed by a…
