To think that the government should take action to make the internet safer?

[ElasticGirl]

I am so upset by the story about the 10 year old boy who accidentally strangled himself playing a youtube game? How can we protect our children from this? How can Youtube allow videos demonstrating how to strangle yourself?

[VioletBam]

It's tragic. But...it's the job of parents to ensure that children this young are not alone with internet access. If the government contain everything, then the internet will not be the power that it is.

[eyebrowsonfleek]

In YouTube's defense, there's a YouTube Kids app as there's a lot of content on YouTube that is inappropriate.I'm guessing that this video is not on the kids version of the app. I have a 10 year old and I have a very good idea of what he watches on YouTube. I haven't seen the video in question but there are always people who can do amazing things with their bodies. My children have seen such people on shows like Britain's Got Talent perform amazing physical feats but have never copied them. Does the video urge people to strangle themselves or did the boy accidentally strangle himself attempting a different "trick"

I don't know what the answer is. Illegal activity will be on the dark web and we are supposed to have freedom of speech so censorship seems wrong. In an ideal world, the Internet would be free of unpleasant content and people but the Internet is international and the police have limited resources to chase people.

[Andrewofgg]

What do you want, OP, nothing online which is not appropriate for everyone who might see it?

Would you apply that to broadcasting or to books?

Parents cannot outsource their responsibility to "the government".

[Mishmashpotatoes]

YABVU

It's a parents job to monitor what a child is accessing on the internet.

You don't want the government censoring the internet, we would end up similar to North Korea.

Do you really want David Cameron deciding what we can and can't access?

[MachiKoro]

Um, don't let your children watch crap on YouTube?
The UK govt cannot police the worldwide web (clue's in the name).
Why would anyone let a 10yo have unrestricted access to the internet?

[SunnySomer]

I totally agree with Arfarf.... It is very boring to monitor what your children are accessing on the Internet (especially when they like to watch DanTDM and Squid) BUT ultimately we are parents and have a responsibility to do so. It's easy to imagine that the Internet is some kind of benevolent childminder like CBBC, but really this is not the case and we need to wise up to it.

[eyebrowsonfleek]

I think it's common knowledge that Internet standards are not universal and the censorship that exists is performed by private companies
What I mean is Facebook will take down pics of breastfeeding because a nipple is showing but will allow a sexy thong pic. Facebook are a private company so not answerable to other sites, never mind governments on their standards. To make them change their mind, they'd need to see revenue fall or people being vocal about it to the extent they are shamed to back down.

[RebelRogue]

YABU it's my job as a parent to check what my kid is watching/doing. And besides it being impossible to fully control it i wouldn't want it to happen anyways. Should we ban magic shows as well? Circus performances? While on holiday we saw a show with fire eating,walking on glass,nails etc. there were plenty of kids in the audience. Should that be banned too?

[ElasticGirl]

I think you do need to monitor what your children are viewing on the internet, and use parental controls. But with a 10 year old you are not looking over their shoulder constantly. I wonder if these videos were viewable on the restricted version of youtube, and I think if a child has died more alarm should be raised then blaming the parents.

[ElasticGirl]

This story is on the bbc news website, because of an inquest opening today.

[RebelRogue]

What exactly would you like the government to do,that actually is in their power?

[MachiKoro]

I disagree, I think with a 10yo you do have to monitor what they're doing and what they're looking at. Most 10yo are daft and don't understand the long term implications of their actions. Just put YouTube on the list of sites they cannot access if you aren't prepared to check what they're viewing. No screens other than in family rooms would help.

[ElasticGirl]

Well, maybe we could ask the Minister for internet safety and security, Baroness Shields, to talk about this case specifically?

[HelloHola]

Personally, I think we should stop giving 10-14 year olds mobile phones/iPads/unaccompanied internet access - if they have access to this kind of stuff, they're going to be curious. Don't easily give them the tools for that curiosity.

I have the same feelings about people being annoyed younger people see porn - surprisingly it doesn't just pop up on your screen. They actively have to type it in.

Parents should police that - not the Gov.

[MachiKoro]

Talk about it to whom?

[ElasticGirl]

To address parents concerns about internet safety.

[ElasticGirl]

I think what I find worrying about it is, that you know to protect your children from sexual content online, but this is a game you may never have heard of, so how can you protect against things you haven't heard of. And if the only answer is that every parent of a 10 year old sits next to their child while they are online at all times, i don't think that is a practical solution.

[AppleSetsSail]

This is 100% a parent's responsibility. You'd have to be a fool to rely upon an internet safety guarantee.

[wasonthelist]

So you want the government to find out what stuff you don't know about and stop any kids seeing it ?

Not sure how that could ever work.

[ElasticGirl]

I think we could call for all these types of video to be removed from youtube. There are very strict controls on television not to show practical ways to commit suicide. These controls should apply to youtube as well.

[AppleSetsSail]

Also, it is incredibly easy to build a list of websites to which you'd like your child to have access, from the bottom up (as opposed to top down).

I did this just a couple of weeks ago when we moved my son's computer into his room. He's pissed off about not having Youtube access but I hardly care.

[AppleSetsSail]

I think we could call for all these types of video to be removed from youtube. There are very strict controls on television not to show practical ways to commit suicide. These controls should apply to youtube as well.

So someone at Youtube should sift through videos and make sure the content is OK? Sounds easy enough.

[AppleSetsSail]

Do you think TV vs Youtube videos are even remotely comparable?

[EveryoneElsie]

YABVU.
I didnt allow mine online alone until they were at least 14, and had proved they could act responsibly.
Even at 10 they knew about dares, and certainly knew not to strangle themselves or other people.
Back then wrestling and 'you've been tangoed' were causing problems and had nothing to do with the Internet.

You have to tell kids. I mean literally spell it out to them.