Falling into the digital rabbit hole: Protecting children's online adventures

Have you ever found yourself losing track of time while watching just one YouTube video? Hours can pass by as YouTube's autoplay feature keeps delivering content. But have you ever wondered how this happens?

The algorithm

Behind the scenes, clever algorithms are at play, designed to predict and maintain your interest in the content. These algorithms analyse your search history, offering you more of what you enjoy. To combat this, the algorithm gradually introduces more extreme content to keep you entertained. If you started with funny dog videos, you could end with dogs becoming harmed in the making of the videos. 

While this can be harmless for adults, it becomes concerning when children are involved. YouTube's algorithm can inadvertently lead them down a disturbing rabbit hole. Unfortunately, some individuals exploit this system by disguising harmful videos as child-friendly content.

How can you protect your children from watching these videos?

To protect your children from such videos, YouTube has disabled autoplay on YouTube Kids. This is a step in the right direction. However, there is still more to be done. Without constant supervision, it's challenging to avoid all risks. To assist you, we recommend setting up YouTube Kids parental controls. You can find a helpful guide on the Google Support site.

You can also monitor your child(ren)’s activities and retain a bit more control of the types of content they encounter. Depending on your budget and needs there are a number of different tools, you can read more about them on the Safety Detectives site.

Remember, by taking proactive steps and engaging in open discussions with your children, you have the power to create a safer and more positive online world for them to explore. You can find free online resources to prompt conversations about online safety and guide your family through this topic. Together, we can all make a difference in protecting their digital journey.