Saturday night, your kid is sitting quietly, tablet in hand, watching what looks like an innocent YouTube video. You hear a voice say, “If you don’t press the like button, bad things will happen to your parents.”
What? That’s straight-up manipulation, and it isn’t a one-off. There are tons of channels pulling shady tactics like this—guilt-tripping, sneaking inappropriate ads into videos.
If that doesn’t feel like enough of a gut punch, consider this: YouTube’s algorithm is not your friend. A video that starts out innocent can autoplay into darker content. You can never know how fast it can go from “aww, cute” to “Wait, what am I watching?”
1. How Bad It Really Is
The issue with these channels isn’t just their existence—it’s how sneaky they are. They hide behind harmless-looking thumbnails and content tags, but here’s what’s often going on under the surface:
Emotionally Manipulative Content
When kids hear messages like, “If you don’t subscribe, bad things will happen,” or “You have to share this video if you love your parents!”
Kids do not stop to think: “Is it right?”, they take these things literally, and it creates unnecessary stress or guilt.
Clickbait and Skewed Morals
Titles and thumbnails are designed to grab attention, but what’s inside might teach awful lessons.
I’m talking about “pranks” that glorify bullying, or videos that push materialism as the ultimate goal in life.
Inappropriate Ads or Content
Even with parental controls, weird stuff sneaks through—ads for adult products or content with themes way too mature for young eyes.
Endless Algorithm Loops
The autoplay feature can lead kids down a rabbit hole. One minute they’re watching a cute animated short, and five clicks later, they’re in a weird, unsettling corner of YouTube.
2. What You Can Do to Combat These Threats
YouTube has a responsibility to do better, but as dads, we’ve got to take action now.
Here’s what you can do to protect your kids:
1. Use Parental Controls and Time Limits
YouTube isn’t all bad, but managing it to keep your kids away from junk content can be a real challenge. In our house, YouTube is strictly limited to the iPad.
We use screen time settings to cap daily usage, and their accounts are locked into a profile where I personally approve every channel and video.
If this sounds like too much effort, skipping YouTube altogether might be the better choice. There are plenty of kid-friendly alternatives that entertain without exposing them to brain-rotting content.
Here’s a helpful video on how to lock down your kids’ iPad. That said, while looking for it, I came across multiple videos teaching kids how to bypass these controls. So, you might want to keep their devices with you when needed to stay one step ahead!
2. Watch Together
Make YouTube a shared activity. Sit with your kids while they watch, especially when they’re younger.
Not only can you keep an eye on what they’re consuming, but you can also talk to them about what they’re watching, pointing out the good, the bad, and the downright ridiculous.
3. Teach Them to Think Critically
Kids are smarter than we sometimes give them credit for. Talk to them about the manipulative tactics these channels use.
Explain that when someone says, “Like and subscribe if you love your parents,” they’re not being kind—they’re trying to pressure you.
Show them that they have the power to say, “Nope, not falling for it.”
4. Approve Content Yourself
Here’s a pro tip I stumbled upon: YouTube Kids has a whitelist feature where you can personally approve the channels and shows your kids can access.
It’s been a game-changer for cutting out all the junk.
You can set their profile to only include trusted options like Disney, Cartoon Network, and maybe a few other channels.
Just head to Settings > Content Settings > Approve Content Yourself to lock it down.
Reminder
I know we’re all busy, and YouTube can feel like an easy way to buy yourself a break. But letting your kids have free rein on YouTube without supervision is like handing them a pile of candy and saying, “Figure out dinner yourself.”
With a little effort, you can shield them from YouTube’s brain-rotting junk while still letting them enjoy the good stuff. It’s about teaching your kids to navigate it safely and confidently.
And hey, if that means less autoplay and more Bluey, I’d call that a win.