Would you allow your DS (10) to post YouTube videos?

[GingerLeaves]

DS wants to upload some videos, of him singing/dancing, etc.

I'm a bit on the fence about it...

If I control his channel/help him with everything, would it be okay?

[thethoughtfox]

Don't. You are exposing him to the pain and ridicule of the masses and the attention of those who like to casually insult people never mind those more dangerous. It's your job to protect him. Would you let him perform unsupervised in a busy town centre on a Saturday night? The feedback and reactions may be similar.

[Furiosa]

Mistigri

but you've got to go out of your way to use a downloader site and then re-upload it all of which takes time and effort. Why would anyone go to even a small amount of trouble to do this?

Ding ding ding!

The million dollar question. I guess if we knew why, or better yet if people didn't, there wouldn't be trolls on the internet!

If your child is being bullied by kids who are prepared to go to these lengths, then frankly YouTube is the least of your worries.

No. It will be the bane of your child's life if it reaches YouTube.

Like I said if done professionally it could be a great asset, however advising someone to not encourage their child to post videos of themselves on YouTube isn't scaremongering. It's not telling them not to go outside, or to pursue their interests. It's acknowledging how cruel the internet can be and what people are like online. It's a tough world to face. I guess we'll agree to disagree.

[akkakk]

mistigri - what you say is logical and makes sense - I was really responding to the OP's concerns...

However, I do have concerns regarding the amount of information children / teenagers put online without ever thinking through possible future impact, unless there is a direct tangible benefit (e.g. cash) from putting video / other material online, then I feel it is perhaps worth thinking twice before putting personal information out into the public domain... and losing control of it...

Outside commercial benefit, the other strong reasons for putting information online (sharing with friends & family etc.) can generally be done in a locked down environment... In reality very very few children make significant commercial gain online, so probably there is little reason for sharing online... I think that generally there can be some strong reasons for not sharing as a child, and few for sharing...

to put this in context:

• I am refering to videos / materials which are personally revealing - some of the suggestions above with no face / personal information showing are of course little issue
  
• I write this in the context of running a business which in part encourages our clients to use online social media...

[Sighing]

God no. I pity this generation and the complete lack of privacy.

[catewood21]

also LOTS of boring stop motion animations

[GingerLeaves]

DS will have his channel promoted by his agency, it's more fun for him to upload them to a channel, than just to his portfolio, so there is a reason it would be beneficial.

[catewood21]

My DD (age 10) has been uploading pictures of herself doing gymnastics for years.Disables comments though

[Mistigri]

Furiosa but you've got to go out of your way to use a downloader site and then re-upload it all of which takes time and effort. Why would anyone go to even a small amount of trouble to do this? If your child is being bullied by kids who are prepared to go to these lengths, then frankly YouTube is the least of your worries.

Unless the OP's son's videos are very unusual, or he has a massive talent for self-promotion, they will get a handful of views at best. Fewer than if he busked down the local tube station. My daughter would love for there to be people out there downloading her stuff off YouTube - realistically (and her total view count is well into the thousands) that is not happening.

I'm all for caution and education with regards social media - but most of this thread is just scaremongering.

[Narp]

I would not let mine do this if face were visible, at that age 9or actually now - they are older)

What he needs to understand is that if it's something he would not want want his worst enemy to see then he should not post it.

If he's not old enough to understand what that means, then you shouldn't let him.

[Furiosa]

Mistigri not specific knowledge at all. Just google it - you copy the url and paste it into a downloader site. Done.

Asking why someone would bother though is the issue. My fear would be bullying. If OP son uploads his own videos of him singing and dancing and school bullies get wind of this it could go south fairly quickly. There's no way I put a video of myself singing and dancing on youtube. Even if OP's son is very good at what he does (which it sounds like he is) performing on the internet can be a rougher ride than busking on the street.

That said if his music teacher has done this before without any issues and their set up is professional and the video and performance is high quality it could attract a lot of positive responses too.

Maybe I'm over cautious but remember poor Rebecca Black or the infamous "Star Wars Kid".

[SpringerS]

Also, maybe this is me, but what is the point of all this endless sharing of very dull stuff - what do people get out of it?

Well some people make 7 figures a year out of it, along with getting an absolute tonne of free stuff. My DS loves Evantube youtube channels and the kids on that even got a free trip to Hong Kong in order to shill about what a great holiday destination it is. Personally that wouldn't be the life I'd choose for my son. They might make great money but I honestly think it comes at too high a cost of their childhood.

My DS is only 3 but he is already practicing his toy reviews, so I know once he understands how youtube works, he'll want to upload his own videos. I'm already trying to work out where I stand on it. So far I've decided that I'd be ok with us making little story videos with his toys, during which his hand might be seen or his voice might be heard but he'd be altering it slightly to be Batman/Superman/etc. Only plain backgrounds would be seen and none of our names would be findable. He would only do it as long as he finds it fun, it would never turn into some sort of job while he is a child. And as we may be homeschooling, I'd try to make it educational for him in terms of story writing, the technical aspects of filming and uploading, etc. My husband is a professional film/television editor and if DS has an interest in learning the more complicated aspects of video making, like VFX or stop motion animation, he could teach him about that.

[squashtastic]

I wouldn't. Comments on YouTube can get really personal and unpleasant

This and by "unpleasant" read 'fucking awful, sexist, racist, hateful, graphic'. Children (and a lot of adults ) don't seem to comprehend that what you are happy to share today might be the source of much humiliation in a week's time 20 years time. There's not getting it back. If in 4 years time when he's an awkward teenager he might not want the videos being shared among his friends.

[GingerLeaves]

Well, his music teacher was going to help him, they have a YouTube channel (the company has one) and he has been on it a few times... However, I wouldn't want someone using his video.

[Mistigri]

akkakk it's not difficult, no, but it requires specific knowledge, time, and a good reason to do it. Who is going to go to that effort for an 11 year old's amateur video (the answer is no one: it's hard enough for musicians like my DD making good quality, well produced material to get their videos viewed).

It's quite telling on this thread that those of us who report allowing their children to upload videos (with limits and, where appropriate, supervision) report no major issues.

[akkakk]

Mistigri downloading YouTube videos is very simple - keepvid.com etc...
Anything once on the Internet is out of your control...
If you want to share videos, then a locked account on Vimeo is better than YouTube, if you want a wide audience then accept that you are giving away control...

[MyLifeisaboxofwormgears]

I work in IT with the security team and none of us have much of an online presence and none of our kids have FB or youtube accounts.
Maybe we are all ultra-cautious but there are other ways to share stuff and still own it.
Anything posted online (including this comment) is no longer owned by me and I have lost control of it. The potential for stuff to be misued is high and the benefits are minimal. Videos can be played to friends on other channels and you don't need to upload it anywhere.

Also, maybe this is me, but what is the point of all this endless sharing of very dull stuff - what do people get out of it?

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Yes we did. Their gymnastics on the trampoline. Nothing untoward happened!

[noblegiraffe]

lweji both, I imagine, the video is from when he was in primary school and he's near the end of secondary.

[AuntJane]

I do so wish Justin Beiber's parents had thought about letting their son upload videos of him singing ....

[Lweji]

he has forgotten the password to the account so can't delete it.
Really? Can't he recover the password or has he forgotten his email account as well?

[PrimalLass]

I forgot to add that my kids put up gaming videos but nothing showing their faces.

[ErgonomicallyUnsound]

....I should also say that the idea of DD posting stuff like DS does in a few years time fills me with horror. The longer I can keep her offline, the better.

Primarily because she is a totally different child to him, much more sensitive, less "popular" and way less streetwise.

[noblegiraffe]

No. I'm a secondary teacher and have seen kids rip the piss out of others for this, or discussing, unflatteringly, videos uploaded by kids at the same school but different years. One of my Y10s is constantly mocked for a video he uploaded when he was much younger, he has forgotten the password to the account so can't delete it.

[ErgonomicallyUnsound]

It depends on the child, subject matter etc.

My DS(12) has been posting YouTube vids for about 6 months now, and has also had Instagram ones reposted and viewed in the 1000's. Our rules are:

• I check before upload - mainly for identifiers
  
• I check the comments every now and again - although DS is usually pretty good at ignoring and or deleting anything he doesn't like
  

So far, it's been usefully educational in some respects. We discussed it recently - I asked if the negative comments were off putting and he said "nah, you accept it comes with the hate. The haterz. Just ignore it, mum. That's what I do. They just do it because they're jealous".

As a parent, of course I want to protect him but he also needs to learn how to deal with this 21st century shit himself as I haven't got a bloody clue

[Thereshegoesagain]

Nope, not a chance.