I saw a post recently about someone setting up parental controls – screentime, blocked sites, etc. – and it made me wonder.
In my childhood, my free time was very flexible. Within this low-pressure flexibility I was naturally curious, in all directions – that meant both watching brainteaser videos, and watching Gmod brainrot. I had little exposure to video games other than Minecraft which ran poorly on my machine, so I tended to surf Flash games and YouTube.
Strikingly, while watching a brainteaser video, tiny me had a thought:
I’m glad my dad doesn’t make me watch educational videos like the other kids in school have to.
For some reason, I wanted to remember that to “remember what my thought process was as a child” so that memory has stuck with me.
Onto the meat: if I had had a capped screentime, like a timer I could see, and knew that I was being watched in some way, I’d feel pressure. For example,
10 minutes left. Oh no. I didn’t have fun yet. I didn’t have fun yet!!
Oh no, I’m gonna get in so much trouble for watching another YTP…
and maybe that pressure wouldn’t have made me into an independent, curious kid, to the person I am now. Maybe it would’ve made me fearful or suspicious instead. I was suspicious once, when one of my parents said “I can see what you browse from the other room” – so I ran the scientific method to verify if they were. (I wrote “HI MOM” on Paint, and tested if her expression changed.)
So what about now? Were we too free, and now it’s our job to tighten the next generation? I said “butthead” often. I loved asdfmovie, but my parents probably wouldn’t have. I watched SpingeBill YTPs (at least it’s not corporatized YouTube Kids).
Or differently: do we watch our kids without them knowing? Write a keylogger? Or just take router logs? Do we prosecute them like some sort of panopticon, for their own good?
Or do we completely forgo this? Take an Adventure Playground approach?
Of course, I don’t expect a one-size-fits-all answer. Where do you stand, and why?
The internet isnt what it used to be. Sure it was never perfect but the neo-nazi pipeline is very real and is embedded into the “fun” kids content. Id say that controls to prevent seeing that content is required. Let them have fun content just make sure it isnt turning them into a monster. This is no simple task tho.
I definitely agree. Back then, the bad stuff was often more… innocent, grassroots-ish? (With exceptions.) Like, if you stumbled on a cartel beheading then no one was trying to sell anything to you.
Nowadays it’s markedly more corporate – there is ad revenue in constructing an extremist pipeline, and anyone can see how content has sprung up to assume that vacuum. (Try opening a private browser tab and watching only Ben Shapiro videos. The algorithm will eventually point you to Trump conspiracy videos with AI voiceovers. Last time I did this was before Cambridge Analytica changed their name to Emerdata though so I’m not sure if it’s the same.)
One thing: you mentioned that there was a pipeline in “‘fun’ kids content”. I’ve only seen stuff like that directed at early, questioning teens (the Discord offensive-jokester type) – does this “‘fun’ kids content” thing target even younger ages now? Because I’ve yet to hear of that.
A lot of it starts to get them pretty young. Like 10-12. Its embedded in video game content a lot. The ages are getting younger and younger as kids tend to be influenced by other kids a bit older than them. So it trickles down that way. Altho i see early teens as kids too so i was talking about them too when i said that. A lot of it comes from socializing with other kids that have been influenced by it too.
Yeah, the Hitler Youth propaganda is what I’m afraid of. Hopefully, I can counteract that in day to day life, but the thought still scares me.
Maintain a good relationship with them and talk to them about stuff. In the world we live in kids are gonna have to grow up fast sadly. Explain to them that lots of people are hateful, but trans, gay, immigrant, black, etc people are human beings just like us and that people will try to tell them otherwise but not to fall for it.
Teach them about history. Watch movies like Schindlers List, and the sound of music together and honestly answer any questions they have during them.
Help them find fun online content that isnt laced with neo-naziism. Try to explain why they shouldnt watch that poison and just like with real poison if they dont listen dont hesitate to put your foot down and block stuff.
Thanks for that, that was helpful and encouraging. My parents never talked to me about anything and I was planning on being the exact opposite. But watching those kinds of movies together is a great idea.
I appreciate you taking the time to write that.