[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #572: YouTube Kids probably isn't for kids

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OPLIN 4Cast #572: YouTube Kids probably isn't for kids
December 13th, 2017

[image: YouTube Kids Logo] YouTube Kids has been in my newsfeeds quite a
bit recently. Unfortunately, not for a great reason. I first became aware
of the massive issues with the service when James Brindle's expansive
Medium post, "Something Is Wrong on the Internet
<https://medium.com/@jamesbridle/something-is-wrong-on-the-internet-c39c471271d2>"
appeared in November. In short, many video are being created by bots, based
on algorithmic keywords...and even those created by humans may be full of
violence and/or inappropriate material.  Google (which owns YouTube) has
initiated a large-scale cleanup, in an attempt to salvage the service.

   -
   - YouTube is not for kids
   <https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/29/youtube-is-not-for-kids/> [TechCrunch]
   "Even if one child enjoys one nursery rhyme, there is so much content that
   is both ridiculous and dangerous lurking under the surface of the service
   that you’re almost guaranteed to step on a content landmine."
   - YouTube Kids has been a problem since 2015 — why did it take this long
   to address?
   <https://www.polygon.com/2017/12/8/16737556/youtube-kids-video-inappropriate-superhero-disney>
   [Polygon] "The company has ramped up moderation in recent weeks to fight
   the wave of inappropriate content, but this isn’t the first time YouTube
   has been in this position."
   - Google is hiring 10,000 people to clean up YouTube
   <http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/12/10/google-is-hiring-10000-people-to-clean-up-youtube/>
   [CNN Wire] "The company isn’t just banking on more human intervention,
   however. Its machine learning algorithms have helped remove more
than 150,000
   videos from YouTube since June that depict violent extremism."
   - Inside Elsagate, the consipiracy-fueled war on creepy YouTube kids
   videos
   <https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/8/16751206/elsagate-youtube-kids-creepy-conspiracy-theory>
   [The Verge] "TheLocalGamer proceeded to lay out the problem, hiding in
   plain sight on some of YouTube’s most popular children’s channels: creators
   were drawing children in with familiar characters — most notably Elsa from
   *Frozen*, but also Spider-Man and the Joker — then arranging them in
   bizarre situations involving cheating spouses or public urination. "

*From the Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - YouTube steps up protection for kids
   <http://proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=J0E295372830217&site=ehost-live>
   (USA Today. 11/30/2017.)
   - Terrible toons: Parents raise alarm over online videos
   <http://proxy.oplin.org:2054/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cmh&AN=6FPTS2017110544089091>
   (Sapna Maheshwari The New York, T. (2017, November 5). Terrible toons:
   Parents raise alarm over online videos. *Toronto Star (Canada)*. )
   - YouTube 'won't let scary videos reach children'
   <http://proxy.oplin.org:2054/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cmh&AN=8Q2131522874>
   (Matthew, F. (2017). YouTube 'won't let scary videos reach children'. *Daily
   Telegraph (London)*, 9. )

------------------------------
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