Finally got rid of our kids' YouTube Kids account and wow

Dec 71 min read

Okay so we were letting our 7yo have unlimited YouTube Kids (famous last words, right?). Decided to cut it completely for summer and do only 30 min on weekends. First week was BRUTAL but after like 10 days something shifted. He's actually bored enough to ask for real stuff—building with LEGOs, asking to go outside, reading more. I'm not saying I'm some hero parent but I'm genuinely shocked at how much better his mood is. Obviously this won't work for every family but if anyone's on the fence about cutting back, it might be worth trying.

5 comments16 views

Comments(5)

WWill S.RegularDec 8

This gives me hope. We're about to cut screen time and I'm dreading the first week so much. Did he actually find stuff to do or are you just enforcing board games and boredom?

EEd P.RegularDec 8

Weekend only is the move honestly. Full cutoff felt impossible to us but weekends we can actually manage and weekdays he just doesn't ask because the habit's broken. Did you consider a middle ground or was cold turkey necessary?

TTony F.RegularDec 9

The fact that you lasted 10 days before seeing improvement says a lot about how much the algorithm was feeding him. Once that dopamine reset happens kids actually get creative again it's wild

TTyler K.RegularDec 9

Did YouTube Kids default to stuff he actually chose or was it just algorithm rabbit holes? Asking because that seemed to be the worst part for us—he'd end up watching weird semi-educational content he didn't even like

NNeil C.New DadDec 10

BRUTAL is real. My 6yo screamed about being bored for like days but then suddenly found actual toys again. The adjustment period is rough but worth it. How's he doing now after the initial meltdown?