My 4 year old watches YouTube Kids and my wife thinks it's fine but I've seen some weird stuff sneak through. There was this video that looked innocent but had strange content mixed in. Are there better alternatives? Should we just not let him watch anything? I feel paranoid but also like I need to protect him. What do you guys use for your young kids?
YouTube Kids is definitely safer than regular YouTube but yeah, weird stuff still gets through. We use it but I spot check what he's watching every few days. Some creators sneak in inappropriate stuff thinking it won't get flagged.
The algorithm can be sketchy. I've seen videos that look innocent in the thumbnail but have some questionable content. Maybe set it so videos have to be approved before he watches them? Takes more effort on your end but gives you peace of mind.
Your instinct is right to be cautious. I've seen some creepy stuff get past their filters too. If it makes you feel better, we just stick to a whitelist of specific channels we've vetted and he can only watch those.
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Honestly the safest approach is a mix - YouTube Kids is fine but keep the parental controls tight and watch with him sometimes. At 4 he shouldn't be watching alone anyway. That's where most of the weird stuff sneaks in.