YouTube

[sweetcarolinedadada]

Looking for some advice...

My 8 year old son is obsessed with YouTube. He constantly asks for it and it's such a drama if he doesn't get it etc.

Recently he has been watching it in a room on his own with the curtains drawn and lights off... he says this is because he can't see the screen with the daylight but it's a bit disconcerting. I really want to get him off it and it is going to take some effort.

Anyone else been through this and successfully weaned?! Also, what are your 8 year olds doing before / after school / during downtime?

Thanks

Personally I would just not allow him the screen. You are the parent here and he doesn't need weaning

You need to stop the Youtube for sure, especially if it's on a small screen like a phone. I completely understand how difficult it is though because my 5 year old always asks for it but I don't let her at all, she gets stuff like Netflix etc. that I know is appropriate and that too on a TV in light. At most, the light has to be kept on, it's very bad for his eyes otherwise.

My DD would cry and scream for it all the time but I honestly just didn't let myself give in ever as that would break the routine and now she understands a little more although she still mourns the Youtube...I give it to her as a treat like once a month and it makes her treasure it a bit more so she's better behaved.

Hope you can convince him somehow

What is he watching on YouTube?

You just need to cut him off. Don't wean, go cold turkey. But so think carefully about what example you're setting for him. If you're also a bit screen reliant, you need to put it away too.

In terms of what else he could be doing, reading, drawing, craft, Lego, after-school clubs (sports, drama, cubs etc), the park, spend time with friends, look after a pet/household chores, talk to you/his other parent/siblings, help with dinner, watch a movie.

Thanks everyone. I probably used the term weaning a bit flippantly!

Two afternoons a week he comes home from school and I am still working until 5pm so he's alone (safe! But alone downstairs) and we have just got into such bad habits with allowing YouTube on the iPad to occupy him as it's a sure fire way of ensuring he will not interrupt me. School term is nearly over but I'm seriously considering booking him into an afterschools club even though we can't really afford it.

YouTube is so bizarre- why do kids love it so much?!!!

In terms of what he is watching...

Gamers
Families who film every single bit of their lives

Utter shite tbf

No YouTube here - 7,9,11 yo. They occasionally watch TV, otherwise play / read / bounce on trampoline / fight 😁, cook.

We have a no tech upstairs rule too.

I wouldn't let a child that age watch youtube unsupervised. There's too much dodgy content disguised as appropriate for children

Restrict his account to youtube kids- it excludes family videos like that and gamers.

Thanks everyone.

Some good advice. I am so worried about the fall out x

My seven year old is not allowed on YouTube at all apart from, occasionally, one specific channel (Come Play With Me) which she watches supervised. I’m not precious about screens at all and she watches lots of other TV, but YouTube just seems so much more mindless and addictive. I know it’s hard but I would try to go cold turkey with it if you can.

Banned in our house - ages 7 and 9. They watch crap American comedy shows instead! But I prefer this to mindlessness of YouTube. It doesn't help that a couple their friends have YouTube channels that they'd like to watch.

We've had similar at mine and we've LOST the iPad recently..just can't seem to find it. It's out of battery now so can't be pinged either.
Of course I know where it is but I won't be 'finding' it..

Since control seems impossible I find that cold Turkey is best.

It was YouTube for us - mindless slime videos - utter mindless stuff.

YouTube is so bizarre- why do kids love it so much?!!!

Because dopamine. Watch a few documentaries on YouTube about the effects of dopamine, mindless scrolling etc.

Yes I am well aware of the irony of my comment.

Some more really interesting comments. Thanks everyone.

I spoke with my husband last night and we are going to sit 8 year old down at the weekend and be honest about all of this and how YouTube will be banned. My husband will be good at this, me not so much.

At that age it's a lot to be left to their own devices for 90 mins twice a week. After school club really is a good idea if possible.
If not you'll need to offer alternatives to the iPad - suggestions of what else to do if you can't supervise him or be disturbed

I don’t think youtube kids is that big of a deal for an 8 year old. But 90 minutes every day is too much and the dark room thing is weird. If he can’t see a screen in the light then I’d take him to the opticians, and I’d say no more on coming home from school but he can have TV in the living room. Then I’d allow 20 minutes of it after dinner once all homework is done. Any fuss and he’d lose that 20 minutes would be gone and he would be booked into after school club.

Have you got strong parental controls on the iPad? Have you checked the browsing history that he is definitely just on YouTube? It's a long time unsupervised with a tablet, I'd just stop it for the time being and he'll quickly find other stuff to do in the time.

Mine is the same age and over the past 6 months has become obsessed with watching gamers on YouTube.

Recently he said 'for fucks sake' and 'jackass' - in shock I was like er where did you hear that?! Yep, from a YouTube programme. Anyway that was the end of it for me and I told him he couldn't watch it anymore.

There is an app called Happy Kids which has gamer shows and it's way more appropriate than YouTube. I still think it's a load of crap personally but I don't mind him watching that as long as it's appropriate and no swearing!

YouTube is awful imo. Yes he moans about it but I just keep reiterating that it's not appropriate and I don't want him watching things that contain swearing etc and that's the end of the conversation tbh! I'm not getting into a debate with him.

Thank-you. You've all given me food for thought.

Hi what did you end up doing with your son and youtube?

Ive had similar problems with my daughter (https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/tech_tips_and_queries/4953483-is-youtube-safe?reply=131099759), but have found a solution finally with youtubeshield.com, it lets me pick only the channels that she's allowed to watch so I can finally stop worrying. I put it on autoplay and she is happy!