I don’t mind the content they watch on kids YouTube (mostly, streamers can be awful), but the exposure to the algorithm turns them into tiny zombies and led to behavior problems. Even adult brains have trouble navigating the dopamine hits of recommendation algorithms optimized to keep you engaged.
We’ve stuck to a middle ground where they are limited to a certain amount of YouTube per day (but have no time limits for Netflix, games, etc). This has worked well so far
Re:Google releases smart watch for kids
by philomath_mn on Thursday May 30, 2024 @12:01PM
(#40525245)
Totally agree. To your point, I personally have disabled watch history on YouTube so there is no recommendations feed at all. I just search for the videos I want or scroll through the new videos from my subscriptions.
It is these kinds of tactics that I want my kids to develop.
Despite all the rules I've outlined in this thread, I really do believe in giving my kids as much freedom and autonomy as possible. I do not want to manage their time, I do want them to pursue their own interests and grow into their own person.
That being said, developing brains are not adult brains. It is a parent's job to fill in for that immature prefrontal cortex when needed. I can't expect a child to handle the asymmetric onslaught of the attention economy without negative side-effects. Have you seen the manipulative kids content on YouTube? How can a kid escape the recommendations tab with thumbnail after thumbnail specifically designed to draw them in?
So I will work with my kids to learn how use technology without experiencing all the ill-effects. At the end of the day, technology is just one of many tools they will use throughout life -- I don't let them use the bandsaw without help yet either. We'll make adjustments as they get older, but at age 7 things are still pretty hands-on.