Found my 12 year old on YouTube shorts at 1 AM

G

1w ago1 min read

I went to get water and saw his room light on. The shorts app is basically designed to be addictive and I watched him scroll for like 5 minutes without stopping. I need to do something but I also don't want to destroy our relationship by being too harsh. Thinking about moving screens out of bedrooms entirely. Anyone had success with that approach or does it just push them to hide stuff?

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3 comments229 views

Comments(3)

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PParkerNew Dad6d ago

Yeah that's the dark side of shorts and reels that nobody wants to admit. They're literally engineered by teams of people to be impossible to stop watching. I don't blame your kid at all. The app is designed to hijack your brain.

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SScottRegular1w ago

1 AM YouTube shorts is a nightmare scenario. The algorithm knows exactly how to keep them hooked with that auto-play feature. I had to have a full conversation with my 14 year old about sleep hygiene and blue light, but honestly what worked was taking the phone out of the room entirely at bedtime. No exceptions.

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JJoeyRegular1w ago

This is terrifying. My oldest isn't quite there yet but I'm bracing for it. Did you just take the phone away or did you guys problem-solve it together?

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