To not let my 10 year old have his own you tube channel?

[sprockercrazy]

I can't decide if I am being unreasonable or not ...

My 10 (almost 11) year old DS stayed over at my best friends house last night. He is best friends with her son also same age.
Whilst there they both set up you tube accounts and uploaded various videos to their you tube channels.
I found out because DS had used my email address so I received several emails telling me that my uploads had been successful...
it appears that my best friend had given them permission so DS hadn't thought to check with me.
I and DH feel very strongly that DS is too young to have any social media presence. We didn't let his DSis have a FB /snapchat/instagram accounts until she was 16.
I have ensured that he has deleted his account but my best friend says that I am over reacting.
AIBU??

My DS1 who is 12 has his own channel. It's actually about his third, because every so often he outgrows the channel he's using, deletes all the videos and sets up a new one. He loves it, he spends ages thinking of ideas for videos and then filming them and editing them. A lot of his friends do the same and they support each other's channels. I think it's a good thing in general.

I can't see how any possible good can come of it, whereas I can see plenty of horrors.

If he is not old enough to know all the horrible details about what his videos might be used for, he is not old enough to give informed consent to upload videos of himself (or anyone else) for the world to see.

Most adults make giant mistakes on social media, expecting children to use it and regret nothing is absurd.

You have to be comfortable with and understand it so you can help your children around it. I think you should try and get some lessons and support it in. 10 is a smidegoen young (should be 13) but to limit social media to the same age as sexual consent seems a little.....odd.

I mean, you have equated signing into facebook for the first time and having sex for the first time. I would suggest to change your priorities a little.

Thank you but I am quite comfortable with my priorities.

I wouldn't equate signing into Facebook with having sex . I find that comparison a bit odd to be honest.

The age of consent is set because it implies that at 16 you are mature enough to make decisions that can impact on your life.

My DD did not have a social media account until she was 16 and she says herself that she doesn't feel like she has missed out in anyway. She is a very well adjusted young lady,

I think 10 is a little young to have a Youtube channel. I know of teens (aged 14) in my family who have channels and everything has been fine but real names are not used and their faces never appear on the videos, only their voices. It has proven to be great outlet for their creativity and they have met a lot of supportive like minded people but yes parents still have to monitor it.

My 12 yr old Ds set one up and I made him delete it. To be honest, the content made me
It was a long video of him and a friend, cellotaped to swivel chairs, and seeing how long they could spin for. Twas oddly riveting, however the world will have to wait for part deux. At least till he's 16.