Our twins are four years old, soon to be five in the new year. They enjoy watching a variety of videos on You Tube Kids such as Fireman Sam, My Little Pony, Mille and Mollie, and more!
They also like to watch videos of people talking dolls and characters such as Anna and Elsa from Frozen, along with other Disney Princesses, but they also like watching videos of people digging plastic toy eggs out of playdoh as they can’t wait to find out what’s inside.
I was at home a few days ago with our girls when I walked passed our living room. I overheard R saying, “Give us a big thumbs up if you like our video!”
When I asked the girls what they were doing, they said they were filming a video. They had their Barbie house out with a load of their dolls and they were working together, talking to one another to think up a storyline, which I think is great! It’s very creative of them and the fact that they managed to do this without arguing is pretty epic in itself!
However, they asked me to film them doing their video and I happily obliged. After all, it’s not as though I’m about to put my four year old kids onto You Tube as vloggers in their own rights. They have of course featured in a number of my own videos, but a video, just of them, making ‘stars’ out of themselves, makes me feel very uncomfortable.
I wonder what the age restriction on You Tube is to be able to upload your own content and create your own content?
Well, I did a quick google search and found the following information on this website:
Your kid’s age will determine how to proceed. YouTube is supposed to be for users over the age of 13, due to the fact that the parent company, Google, collects and markets user data. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) exempts kids from data collection. But, as we all know, plenty of kids have YouTube channels. One of YouTube’s biggest and highest-earning users is the child star of EvanTube.
It’s not illegal for kids under 13 to create social media profiles on sites that collect user data so long as the parent is aware of the account, knows user data is being collected, and has approved the kid’s account. (Learn five ways to keep kids safe on YouTube.)
Of course my children are far too young to be able to create their own accounts themselves, but I did find it fascinating that children under the age of 13 can create their own accounts either under their parents account or by creating a shared account.
The video I filmed my girls doing was super cute and would totally work on You Tube Kids, but I just don’t feel comfortable putting them out their like this. I have seen videos of children under the age of 13 on You Tube Kids as our girls enjoy them unboxing toys and playing with them, but I just wonder, how young is too young, and are we really aware of the dangers and effects that this could have on our children?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
5 Comments
Hannah
December 15, 2016 at 7:55 am
I have recorded josh loads for his own channel which is completely made up but he thinks he has one!! Lol! Bless them x
Emma (Lavender Vibes)
December 16, 2016 at 2:43 am
I find this so interesting because internet safety is a real concern of mine. I have no answers but can understand how you feel uncomfortable. I think 13-17 is even worse than younger kids or adults because they are such delicate years and who knows what they will choose to share when they are teens. Maybe if they share content too young they are likely to share more content when they are older and that might not be good? #thatfridaylinky
John Adams
December 16, 2016 at 6:44 am
Mmm, tricky. As a blogger I’m afraid I think you’re in for a penny, you’re in for a pound. I make YouTube videos with my kids. In fact my eldest, who is eight, suggested we make videos of science experiments and we’ve made a few of them now and they’ve proving very popular.
Is it really much different using a photo of your kid compared to a video? Yes, okay, the media is different but you either do it or you don’t.
That said, I am totally, completely and utterly against my kids having social media profiles until they are – oh – 33 years of age. It’s bad enough using them as an adult but seeing teenagers live their lives online breaks my heart. Thanks for hosting #ThatFridayLinky.
Heather Keet
December 16, 2016 at 7:03 am
I think the parent is the best judge of when a child is ready to be on social media. However, I find it nerve wracking to hear about my friends’ kids surfing You Tube at the age of 6 and watching makeup tutorials- only for mom to know about it later. Monitoring is crucial to make sure the content remains appropriate and I feel like sometimes parents relax about that thinking a computer safeguard will suffice instead of the parent’s eyes. #ThatFridayLinky
Tom Cox
December 16, 2016 at 8:52 am
I am not 100% sure how i feel about it. I blog and show photos of my son, so having his face out there is my choice. Should i do it? And when he wants to do something similar how could i tell him ‘No’ if i have been doing it on his behalf all his life. Very interesting topic, its really made me think!