Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media outlet: Security incident reported in the Gaza Strip
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson: No new date or venue has been set for the meeting between Araghchi and Witkoff, and no negotiations will take place until the outcome is guaranteed
Palestinian platforms: Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of the occupation police
Palestinian platforms: The IOF detonated a booby-trapped robot east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Syrian Defense: We call on all parties in Sweida to cooperate with security forces and exercise restraint
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area

Youtube kids shows videos promoting drug culture and weapons

  • By Al Mayadeen net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 6 May 2022 09:44
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

Youtube kids was released in 2015 as a safer, more monitored version for children under 13.

  • x
  • Youtube kids shows videos promoting drug culture and weapons

A recent analysis of YouTube's "Kids" app has revealed that it proposes videos that encourage skin-bleaching, weight loss, drug culture, and guns to children as young as two.

YouTube Kids, a 2015 app and website, is intended to be a safer, moderated version of the video-sharing website geared at children under the age of 13. It caters to three age groups: "older," "younger," and "preschool," which generally correlate to children aged nine to twelve, four to seven, and under four.

According to the service, it guarantees that the videos on the service are appropriate for children by using "a mix of automated filters built by our engineering teams, human review and feedback from parents to protect our youngest users online." However, it warns viewers that "no system is perfect and inappropriate videos can slip through."

According to research from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), a non-profit located in the United States, the system is far from ideal. The investigators identified multiple movies that should not have passed Google's filters by using three distinct accounts, each assigned to one of the app's age categories.

A Breaking Bad-themed cooking show, for example, in which the hosts dress up in respirators and make jokes about the dangers of inhaling the fumes, may be light-hearted viewing for adults or teens, but YouTube has classified it as appropriate for "younger children" – as has a Minecraft project to recreate the RV from the hit show, "where the crystal meth is cooked."

As part of a guitar tutorial series, Eric Clapton's Cocaine-sample lyric is available to children as young as five.

Related News

Global arms sales hit $632Bln in 2023, US firms dominate with $317Bln

UK depletes weapon stockpiles after supplying Ukraine

Gun-owner content finds its way to children as well, with younger children being shown a ranking of recoil pads, which protect shooters from the kickback of a firing gun, and older children being shown detailed instructions on how to build a shelf with a hidden compartment to conceal a firearm.

The most concerning information for children was those which might lead to negative body image concerns. For older children, a prominent Indian beauty influencer's article on how to use skin-bleaching products was available, while preschoolers were shown a cartoon on the need of burning calories to lose weight, exhorting them to "wiggle your jiggle."

Katie Paul, director of TTP, says “This is a product that, YouTube claims, does a lot of machine learning to filter out harmful content. It’s very specifically meant to be safe for children, and we didn’t expect to find the variety of inappropriate content that we did find.”

Paul says the most shocking thing to find was the number of drug-related content that was available, detailing that “Of course, these aren’t pushing drugs – but a show like Breaking Bad, which is definitely meant for adults, is being mimicked to push rock candy as though it’s ‘baked meth’ using a lot of drug phrases.”

According to Paul, algorithmically curated content should not be marketed for kids. She believes the US Congress should do its part in regulating services the way the UK and EU have.

She argues that "Ultimately, we are talking about American companies. And it is US Congress that should be leading the way in developing stronger regulations to ensure that these companies are not causing harm to children."

  • Weapons
  • youtube kids
  • War on Drugs
  • YouTube

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS