DS (9) is asking for You tube merch

[worriedmummy63]

DS (9) has given me his birthday present requests and among the usual items (action figures, toy cars, etc) there is “Fred Beyer Merch.”

I looked up Fred Beyer merch, because I don't know who he is, and the first thing that came up is this image.

I don't know if this is the right thing or not, but I definitely don't want my son to be wearing this. I've not checked what he's been watching on You tube - is Fred appropriate? I'm now starting to feel like I have failed as a parent.

No idea who Fred is but this hoodie would make your son look like a male prostitute. No bloody way would I be buying this.

Do you work hard all week just to give these YouTubers your hard earned cash for mass produced hoodies with brain rot slogans and videos that steal your child’s time? My answer would be no. Yours might be a different answer. I’d double down on my no to getting it for a 9yo who thinks a YouTuber deserves your money.

You haven’t failed as a parent, don’t let this YouTube crap make you doubt anything about your parent choices- the very fact you’re asking here means you are concerned, as I would be for a 9yo DS too - sometimes it’s hard enough trying to demonstrate we can raise boys well, despite the noise around men and boys in general at the moment.

You should be asking your child what this merchandise exactly is and where has he seen it.
You also need to actually check what he is watching.

I dont know this youtuber, but when im unsure instead of watching all their content i usuly just ask AI is this youtuber is appropriate for kids and it will give me a whole list of why yes or why no.
That hoodie is definitely not appropriate though. He might have other ones, so maybe ask your son if he has a specific one in mind.

Half-Asleep Chris merch is cute though (misses point)
www.makeship.com/shop/creator/half-asleep-chris

I wouldn't buy that hoodie.

However I did buy a SloGo logoed top for DS for his birthday around that age. It was just a cartoon slug that he liked and the price wasn't stupid. It's no worse than when I wanted My Little Pony or Forever Friends things.

How does he know these people exist?

Fred Beyer makes 'prank' content. It's really tedious, juvenile stuff - playing stupid, irritating public pranks on strangers and filming it. I've never watched his stuff because I despise that sort of thing; it's just obnoxious and unfunny and borderline bullying in my opinion. But I suspect it's that typical loud, brash, juvenile American frat-boy bullshit that a lot of little boys seem to find hilarious. I personally wouldn't want a 9-year-old watching those sort of content creators and I definitely wouldn't be buying their god-awful merch.

@worriedmummy63 a 9 year should NOT be on Youtube. So much massively inappropriate content.

Even kids youtube is the same.

Unless you're watching with him then you need to stop unsupervised access.

So to start with I think you need to know what your nine year old is watching on YouTube (never mind they are too young g but anyway…).

He could be subject to porn or other horrible content.

This merch is awful and I’m surprised you even need to ask. You want your nine year old walking around with a saying of ‘I’ll beat your ass’. Are you okay with your kid speaking like this?

There's no porn on YouTube.

There's certainly a lot of stuff that isn't suitable for a 9-year-old, but it won't be porn.

God some parents are really so shit. Why is your NINE year old having totally unrestricted access to the internet?
Would you let him roam the streets of a city centre alone at night for hours talking to strangers? Because you’re effectively doing that.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to buy YouTube merch, but obviously you don’t want your son wearing that hoody. Also it’s completely unacceptable to not no what your 9 year old is watching on the internet, he’s far too young to have unmonitored access to YouTube!

He’s 9 and you don’t check his YouTube access? You know the age to sign uO is 13, right?
this is a windup or advertising this guy surely

There is. Not advertised but spliced into stuff.

I’ve three boys ten years old and younger. No one is allowed to watch you tube. All kinds of cr*p on there.
I agree with you this merch is grim

Why aren't you checking what your 9yo watches on YouTube?

Sorry but I have to agree with pp, if you're going to give your child access to YouTube at least know what they're watching

Thanks it was an example of horrible material. But yeah there is. Put in amongst other stuff or before they take it down.