Someone close to me recently told me that she doesn’t allow her kids to watch YouTube, which surprised me because I don’t find many parents who are stricter than me, and my kids spend a lot of time watching YouTube. It made me think about why I’m okay with YouTube when some parents aren’t, and came up with four reasons: definition, age, how, and what.
First, by “watching YouTube” I understand that to mean that this mom isn’t comfortable with her kids getting on YouTube themselves and choosing what to watch. From that perspective, we’re more closely aligned than it might seem. I’m not comfortable with my kids getting on any device or web site or streaming service without my consent — they’re not allowed to just turn on the TV or use the tablet or their computers without asking me first. I’m also not comfortable with them flipping around on the TV or streaming services or on the devices looking for something to watch — I want to know specifically what they want to watch and I’m always telling them, “It has to be something I’m okay with!”
Regarding age, things have changed since my kids have gotten older. When my older boys were little, I was always incredibly careful about what they watched on TV. To this day they complain that all they were ever allowed to watch was PBS Kids (which isn’t far off!). As they got older, though, it was appropriate to allow them to watch some other things that were more interesting to bigger kids while still making sure the little ones were protected from the garbage that is prolific on all the media platforms. As the older boys have gotten older, our horizons have broadened in terms of what all of the boys are allowed to watch.
As far as “how,” I only allow the kids (with the exception of my really big boys) to watch YouTube on our TV (the only one we have), which is right in the middle of the house and can’t be viewed privately. In my experience, privacy is the enemy when trying to keep kids safe from danger on devices! My mom says, “You always behave better when you know someone is watching,” and boy, is that the truth. With the TV in the middle of the house in a room with no walls obstructing the view from the parts of the house that I’m always in, I can always see what the boys are watching. Better still, I often sit in the actual TV room with them while doing my own work.
Finally, “what”: this is the part where I tell you some of the channels on YouTube that we all love! As careful as I am about trying to keep bad things off our devices and out of our house and I lament frequently how hard it is to do so because of all the terrible things people feel the need to post and share and broadcast, I will freely admit that there are so many amazing things to watch and learn about and be entertained by! These are some favorites:
Dude Perfect: These five college buddies started their channel years ago with videos of them attempting and making trick shots; they’ve since added to their entertainment repertoire. We love their “Stereotypes,” “Overtime,” and “Bucket List” segments, as well as all the trick shots that they still do, and I love seeing the frequent appearances of their wives and kids and even their parents. It’s fun entertainment without anything controversial (with the exception of the “Rage Monster,” which requires some reminders that “it’s not okay to take out our anger in a destructive way!” I do appreciate that it’s meant to be over-the-top and the character isn’t meant to be taken seriously or considered virtuous). They also do everything they can to be sure the ads that run on their channel are completely family friendly (which is a concern with YouTube videos in general).
DaveHax: DaveHax is a British YouTuber who posts videos of product reviews and also does crafts and science experiments. It’s educational and kind of hilarious, too. One of his catchphrases is “Pretty cool huh!” which he offers on his “merch” (branded merchandise) available online — one of my boys has a “Pretty cool huh!” t-shirt that’s one of his favorite pieces of clothing.
TheReportOfTheWeek: This is one of the newer channels that has joined our lineup. I wasn’t sure about it at first — the host, whose handle is “Reviewbrah,” has an unusual look and manner, which, I admit, made me keep a closer eye until I became more comfortable. I’ve since become a fan! He does food reviews of various fast-food offerings on his show “Running on Empty” that are thorough, articulate, and honest. Some of my boys have started imitating him at meal times, which is especially hilarious when my five-year-old does it, because Reviewbrah (whose real name is John) has a way of talking that’s sort of sophisticated. In one episode, he took a few minutes to read some of the comments he gets that are just horrible, and I was incredibly impressed with how he handled it, and I thought it was a good teaching moment for my kids about how everyone online is a real person with real feelings.
Dr. Garuda: I have one particular boy who is mesmerized by the videos on Dr. Garuda’s channel, but we all find him amazing. He sculpts heroes and villains from shows, movies, and video games out of clay — he is incredibly talented, and his sculptures are exact replicas! We love all of them, but his Darth Vader, T. Rex, and Linc from Zelda are favorites. That particular boy I mentioned in the first sentence was also inspired by Dr. Garuda to ask for modeling clay, modeling wire, and paint and paintbrushes for Christmas one year, and spent a winter working on his own creation. I love that!
My final word on YouTube is: be careful of the ads! No matter how good the channel otherwise, the ads can be scary/inappropriate/controversial. Parental supervision is the best defense! I hope this is helpful to you all!
Kate and her husband have seven sons ages 19, 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, and 5. Email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
