YouTube Channels- inappropriate or just annoying?

[E11ejaye]

So my DS who is 2 has started finding Diana and Roma vids on YouTube and is obsessively watching them. However, he has started picking up some of their behaviours. Like screaming very loudly and high pitched, making stupid sounds, doing something weird with his hands whilst screaming...
He came up to me screaming the other day with his hands on his ears. I asked him what was wrong and he told me “I’m not dead.”
WTAF?
My mum said this was from a Diana video about ghosts.
He loves watching YouTube Kids and giving him an iPad ensures a good hour of peace and time to get things done around the house. But I am starting to wonder whether these Diana and Roma videos are actually appropriate?
Or am I biased because they annoy the s**t out of me?
I don’t mind him watching Blippi, toy unboxings, Peppa, benal nursery rhymes etc. And they are all extremely annoying. I just don’t feel like he is picking up anything bad from them? Aside from an American accent and an obsession with surprise eggs, but hey...

What do you all think? Should I block the channel altogether?
Are there any videos or channels you don’t let your LOs watch? Or any you find particularly torturous?

Honestly I would get rid of all his access to YouTube. If you want him to have safe access to TV programmes then download the kids iPlayer app.

Unsupervised access to YouTube is a disaster waiting to happen. Not all of the content can be screened so it's never goi g to be foolproof, and it's not all going to be appropriate for a 2 year old. You need to sit with him while he watches I'm afraid

I mean, it’s YouTube Kids, so the content and channels are vigorously screened. But @Findahouse21 I agree that they can’t screen everything. Especially on an established ‘kids show’ channel like Diana and Roma.
He isn’t watching full access YouTube unsupervised. But I do get your points! Perhaps YouTube isn’t the best thing to distract him with...
We do sit and watch videos with him and he enjoys it when I play Blippi YouTube Channel on the TV.
It’s just concerning because I assumed channels and videos on YouTube Kids app would be appropriate.

The issue is that there are things that would be appropriate for an 8/9 or even 13 year old child on YouTube kids but wouldn't be appropriate for a 2 year old. For instance my dd aged 5 can explain why bing bunny is sometimes not acting in the right way and why she shouldn't behave like that. But a 2 year old might see the same behaviour and think it's okay because the cute TV bunny acts like a spoilt brat all the time (yes, I have bing issues!!). That's why I think adults should screen what their dc are watching more closely, as it's such a personal choice about what is okay for your child

YouTube kids is not vigorously vetted. My kids are 7 and 8 and my eldest had probs recently after being spooked watching the Hello Neighbour game being played. I would use normal youtube but set it so they can only watch videos you have added to a playlist so you can vet them.

@Findahouse21 I have Bing issues too! Thankfully, DS was only interested in it for about 24 hours...
Will definitely be going on a blocking spree right now!

@Blibbler the content is vetted continuously through an algorithm on YouTube Kids. You set up their profile and the algorithm doesn’t show content that isn’t appropriate for the age range you selected. However, as it isn’t manually vetted things that are inappropriate do slip through. I work a lot with YouTube Kids so I am aware how careful they are!
I know of Hello Neighbour and I know loads of kids around your son’s age have played it. I’m sorry he got spooked by the video and hope he is ok!

I don’t like some of the content DS watches because I feel it can be a negative influence (such as the Diana videos I mentioned). I feel like after these comments I need to be a bit more ruthless with the block button!

@Findahouse21

Unsupervised access to YouTube is a disaster waiting to happen. Not all of the content can be screened so it's never goi g to be foolproof, and it's not all going to be appropriate for a 2 year old. You need to sit with him while he watches I'm afraid

This !

I hate all this you tube stuff anyway and wouldn't let a 2 yo anywhere near

The stuff I have seen pop up on YouTube kids I would strongly disagree it is anywhere near as highly vetted as a lot of parents assume. Diana and Roma in my opinion are just super spoilt and annoying. YouTube Kids is better than the full YouTube but I still wouldn't let an under 8 year old near.

You can screen and select videos on youtube kids yourself so that the child only has access to videos you have vetted.

My DD loves kids YouTube but I do sit next to her and move on from some stuff. I’ve stopped her watching tv shows that have made her behaviour bad (Bing being the worst)

Listen to this, you might get a better understanding of what goes on behind kids youtube, and not let them use it unsupervised anymore podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/reset/id1479107698?i=1000463030923

My kids are older - but I still have a rule that I want youtube only on in earshot of me as I don't trust their algorithms and want to keep tabs on what they're watching. I've explained it to them and they understand why.

The things they're allowed unvetted access to are things like iPlayer kids and the Sky kids app - and their profiles on Disney + and Netflix. They still find endless parental-brain-rotting shite to go through though!

Why the hell are you letting your toddler have unsupervised access to a tablet anyway? Peace and quiet is one of those things you give up when you have kids, it's not OK to cop out and let the tablet do the parenting for you. He's two years old!! Jesus wept.

She is really irritating and I’ve banned my dd3 from watching her and yes she was coping behaviours.

She is only allowed to watch props pig and nursery rhymes or educational one eg. Alphabet and numbers.

My friends dd talks like pepper pig which is odd as we have quite a strong accent.

The best thing we did was buy a Kindle fire kids tablet for ours. She mostly plays the cbeebies games on it and she can watch the Amazon kids stuff. We don't let her watch bing anymore but otherwise all the stuff on it seems great

Pff, you do not give up the right to a fe mins peace when you have kids. And that's without being locked down for a period
Moderation in everything, that's all

You are very naive if you believe that youtube kids is properly vetted.

If you really want to continue using it you need to set up a profile and only select very specific content, turn off search and turn off the linked history thing.

My 6 year old is allowed to watch a little bit of youtube kids in the morning but I have to constantly monitor it, as inappropriate things regularly come through.

My son is 6 and has never watched You Tube unsupervised. He sometimes watches Nintendo Switch videos through the TV, so I can see exactly what he's watching but never via a tablet.

So much content on there is utter junk and I absolutely don't trust You Tube to have his best interests at heart. I work in a related industry and have seen You Tube Kids present to us about how it's set up. The only way I'd be happy for him to use that is only accessing individually subscribed channel content, I personally can't be bothered with all the set up.

At 2, CBeebies really has everything you need. I'd download iPlayer Kids and give him free rein.

Just seen that your child is 2.

Ditch YouTube kids and stick to cbeebies.

You have no idea how much I agree. I absolutely hate everything about them. My son does the same thing, copying what they do. And it's not nice things, he also covers his ears, cross his arms and pout, make that angry face, ask for every toy he sees, because thoes kids buy anything they see. He points and laughs if I fall or get hurt. The list is endless, I tried blocking them, and my son somehow found them again, I don't know how they are so popular.

Diana and Roma is appalling. Moms should def get rid of this excuse for a children’s entertainment show it’s teaching very bad habits to toddlers My 2 1/2 yr old grandson is obsessed with it. I watched along with him and I was shocked. Kids trapped by a river of lava. One video had them pull mean pranks on each other Another one had one child destroying the others work of art ! We will definitely block all of ghem