Do your kids post videos on You Tube?

[oxocube]

And are you happy for them to do it? DD (12) and friends have just revealed that they do this and it makes me very uncomfortable. Have also just read a few of the comments in response to said videos eg a Brazilian guy who wants to know my dd's email address so he can 'learn better English'. My daughter and her frinds think they are so internet savvy but I am very concerned.

No.

I recently did a case where the mother lost residence of her two sons because she allowed them to put all sorts of stuff on Youtube and the younger one ended up being groomed by a man in the States who turned up outside his school.

People put nasty comments on them, obviously considering that they can be as rude as they like to a stranger.

Thanks for the comments. I just asked my dd to show me a couple of the videos her classmates had uploaded (all very innocent, of girls singing etc) and the comments some people had put afterwards were vile. My dd had posted a comment saying 'that's nice' or something similar but another couple of kids in her class who barely bothered to disguise themselves via their user names had written horrible and very hurtful things.

I had no idea you had to be 18 to sign up for an account. I have already banned Facebook; looks like I'll be doing the same with YouTube

Ok, so changing the subject to facebook, is that a good idea for a 12 yo? I too have banned my dd from using it Oxocube, but am thinking of changing my mind as dh thinks it is ok. As I personally don't use, or 'get' facebook it's hard for me to judge!

I don't use Facebook either foofi, so am in the same position as you! Ds (14) uses it all the time - he contacts his friends about homework, going out etc via Facebook rather than picking up the phone which I find a litle bizzare. Dd has agreed to no FB but I see the same problems with both FB and YouTube - 'grooming' (isn't that a horrible expression?), possibilities for internet bullying and basic offensive behaviour etc

DS2, who is 11, has Facebook. I am his "friend" on it and I know his password, so I can see what is being posted on his profile and what he is posting to other people's. He also knows not to add people he doesn't know and not to post any personal details. I think as long as you can monitor it to check that nothing untoward is going on, then it is not a problem.

WRT to the OP, DD1 has posted videos to Youtube since she was about 13 (singing, and videos from musicals/concert rehearsals etc). IIRC there is a way for you to preview the comments that are posted before they actually appear on the video, iyswim, so you can screen any nasty comments while still letting DD's friends post nice things. I'm not sure how you go about doing this though, it's only something I remember a friend mentioning in passing relating to her own DD.