Is posting a two minute interview of your 2and 1/2 year old daughter sitting on the toilet going too far ?

[Hope2003]

I've been watching a family on YouTube but I've become increasingly uncomfortable with what they do :( Am I wrong in thinking it's voyeuristic to the extreme especially this video ?
I mean the toilet seriously [confusedm.youtube.com/#/watch?v=d00MegenWHc

OP, I think you could've started the debate without actually linking to the video - all you needed to do was describe it

Personally I think it's cruel to post videos of a child on the toilet. The parent are being cruel, and the OP is assisting them!

^^Fair point I really hadn't thought of that :( The only consolation is I have linked only one of thousands and I'm sorry .It is cruel and thank you for your opinion, so you would agree I'm not being unreasonable ? Unintentionally cruel yes !

Umm, she is near a toilet, not on a toilet and the video doesn't go below the shoulders. Your complaint is so unjustified that I suspect you are one of the parents seeking hits.

Whois they seriously don't need anymore "hits" they have 1million subscribers and post videos everyday .I can assure you I'm not one of them .I would never do that to my child .

Yes, I do think YANBU

We should presume that the video will still be available on the internet when the child is 13/14/15 years of age. This is where I think back to some of the bullies in school, they would've pounced on such a video. I do feel sorry for children with parents who post tons of photos and video clips of them on facebook, YouTube etc.

It's strange isn't it? Celebrities work so hard to keep their kids out of the limelight, right to privacy and all that

Whereas joe public are suddenly thrust into a technological age where anybody can be a reality star and they don't question why celebs go as far as veiling their kids in public but just parade their kids in their own reality shows

Yes to the paedo-bait thing.

My concern is more for the effect on the child.

We only send pics/videos to the DCs grandparents who live away and yet DD started doing something funny/clever and saying "take a picture, send it to grandma!" She wasn't just enjoying the moment there needed to be the reward of that acknowledgement. So I curtailed it and now it's only for very special occasions.

A couple of friends post a lot of emotional look at me gumph videos that their DC "wanted to show mummy's friends on FaceBook" at 5 they shouldn't know what fucking FB is!

It's going to unconsciously make those children permanently "on" and aware this time could be performance time.

Such pressure and awareness they are special/on display etc can really be damaging.

Agreed 're paedo_bait and effect on the children :) .Yes the celebrities protection of their children is a good point .Another concern is "stranger danger " .These kids are encouraged to think everyone is a "friend " and will give them presents .Am NO I would never let my child accept gifts from strangers .All the rules of parenting seem to be thrown into disarray with these YouTube babies ...

BTW loving the debate here :) It's a question that needs to be asked about this mad cyber world we live in !

I think it's a bit bizarre that as a parent you're not allowed to take pictures at your kids' football matches because you might be a paedophile, and yet these parents can put their own kids into public view wearing very little clothing. Hopefully when these kids grow up they will sue their parents.

Agree ARgyMargy.

Infact, this whole thread has been a complete revelation to me!

I know that the internet is stuffed to the brim with people's written blogs (which I have no interest in) but these vlogs are totally new to me.

Mind boggles at 1 million followers! Really, really?

World's gorn mad.

While sharing family photos, moments etc might seem harmless now, it will be the kids who suffer in the future ...be it a schoolmate googling them and teasing them for whatever. We all had some sort of teasing, funny nickname as kids, but i can only imagine what a 15 yr, who has had their whole life documented on social media, would have to go through. It could be harmless or it could really traumatize them and affect their future. We can only guess, based on how off the rails child stars like Drew Barrymore, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus. The problem in the future will be that it will affect ordinary young people since regular parents are now sharing pics. I heard of one child telling their mum to take down an embarrassing photo off Facebook, while the mum thought it was cute and wanted to share it, the child was very bothered by it. I am surprised people are not more savvy about their internet privacy and making sure their kids are protected.

It's very invasive and selfish of the father. They have shown her on the internet every day of her life. I think child labour laws need to be applied to internet vlogging ASAP!

These kids are almost Trumans. I guess in about a decade we'll get the first law suits and tell-all books. It's a shame the kids are unprotected right now though.

I'm guilty of watching this family a few times, they call the viewers 'friends' and the little girl thinks they're friends too. I can see how this has spiralled, it started as a YouTube channel documenting their lives as a couple and then they had babies and just carried on filming but I think as parents they need to step back and think of the long term consequences for their children.

I would be absolutely mortified if my friends,work colleagues, general acquaintances could google me and watch every day of my life growing up-every tantrum,every fall,particularly the later years. I hope they'll stop including them in their videos soon.

This does raise ethical issues about how far a parent has the right to decide for a child - this could cause the child considerable stress and mental pain when they are older.

It truly amazes me why such an issue hasnt been picked up by the media more and debated, especially regarding legislation or the mere ethics of this. Stunned.

Would make a good topic for The big questions

Hope I got the name of the show right ? Sunday mornings with a presenter called Nicky on BBC

I don't know the show but it is a great idea .Its sad to think children are being exploited in front of thousands and yet no one is willing to speak up for them .A sign of the times when a parents narcissism is put before the child's right to an normal childhood :(

I watched one video where the little girl is constantly asking for Calpol like it is a drink...what is that about? i also watched another American family with 5 or 6 kids who are constantly filmed and do crazy stunt egged on by the father. While it seems they all are doing well financially, I think emotionally and psychologically, it cannot be good in the long run. Would be interesting to hear a psychologist's take on it all maybe on a show like The Big Questions as you suggested

OP, I don't think you should spread the video any further (MN: is there any way to remove the video? I think there is enough comment on this thread that anyone reading it is now informed as to the content.)

However, you are perfectly reasonable to express concern about the video itself. I don't think parents should expose potentially embarrassing images of their children online like this. I wouldn't even share something like this on my social media even though my privacy settings are all locked down. It's not fair--the kids themselves have not been consulted about whether they would like their image brandished everywhere.

@TheNewStatesmen this short clip is typical of the content that is aired on a daily basis in such family videos. maybe you havent seen too many, but tweens and teenage fans all over the world think it is cute, so it has become acceptable.
What I think the OP was trying to point out is that it might be exactly this type of unregulated content that parents are not aware their kids are viewing under their roof and they will maybe become desensitized to it and think it is normal behaviour to share everything. The adverts that are played during these videos have been shown to have a strong influence on the young viewers, which in turn puts pressure on parents to buy said products eg toys, tshirts or whatever is advertised. So, there is a similar concern regarding how easily influenced kids might be by viewing the content, such as the above video. Young minds are impressionable and there should be better monitoring of the kind of footage that is put out. Like we have TV watchdogs, there needs to be more surrounding this are of the entertainment industry.

What would be the point in removing the video? It was posted on YouTube by the child's own parents!