Why Are Our Kids So Addicted To YouTube Videos?

My toddler used to be the biggest fan of the show "Daniel Tiger." He would lounge on the couch and eat his snacks, and he was so amused by that friendly little tiger. After every episode, he would cry for one more. No, it wasn’t the best scenario and of course we worried then that he was becoming addicted to the screen. But now his penchant for TV might have taken a turn for the worse.

These days, all he wants to watch are those YouTube videos of people unwrapping toy animals (essentially toy advertisements in disguise). This can’t be good, right? There’s even one show with a child YouTube star millionaire playing with plastic animal toy figures. Something about it all seems off.

At least with "Daniel Tiger" my son was learning lessons. And maybe he doesn’t have to learn something new every minute of the day, but YouTube seems like dangerous territory.

In recent headlines, YouTube has been upsetting families by showing inappropriate videos and advertisements to kids. And YouTube Kids has been the biggest offender.

I checked in with child psychologist Emily Williams King on why kids love these types of videos so much. “Young children have a very short attention span, so often the simple cause and effect set-up of YouTube videos, such as unboxing videos (think Ryan's Toy Review) have an element of surprise that is very entertaining for young children to watch," she explains. "There are usually lower attention and language demands to these simple YouTube videos that are attracting to young children and those with developmental delays."

I know my kid doesn't have developmental delays, but he does like to veg out pretty hard to these YouTube shows. And he's not alone. This seems to be a trend among other families we know.

“There was a period of time when I'd give my 2-and-a-half-year-old son my phone or an iPad to watch an episode of a show, and he'd switch right to YouTube," says mom Erica Jackson Curran. "He'd start scrolling through the most random stuff (like really poorly produced kids' stuff featuring his favorite characters), and he would just bounce around between videos, not even finishing one before switching to the next. I was really concerned about what that was doing to his attention span. I ended up deleting YouTube from all of our devices and monitoring his screen time a lot more closely.”

Yes, I need to stay on top of this new YouTube phase and watch with him. Although, that's not too much fun for me — which is why I might need to explore alternative ideas.

"I think like anything else related to screen time, it’s not harmful in small doses," King adds. "However, television shows are going to be more enriching to language development and story comprehension. These unboxing YouTube videos are entertaining but in my opinion not teaching any skills like 'Daniel Tiger' does."

Yes, YouTube is new territory for our kids (and parents!), and we just don't have all the answers yet. Maybe we won't ever. All we can do is our best and come up with some limits that feel right.

King suggests the following:

• Be aware that YouTube filters are not fool-proof, not even YouTube Kids. Advertisements can pop up and your children can see things that were not even searched for. (One in particular lately has been the "It Chapter Two" movie trailer popping up on YouTube and scaring children.)
• Search YouTube for videos your children watch rather than allowing kids to click on "related videos" in the margin of the screen.
• Use lock-screen mode for your child to watch the show without being able to click to other suggested videos in the margin.
• Pre-screen the show or watch with your child.
• Don't allow your child free rein for clicking.
• Don't give your child unlimited time, because they likely won't be able to stop.

Lastly, keep putting Netflix or Amazon Prime back on and enticing them with some new shows! Today I showed my son the show "Tumble Leaf," and he actually watched a couple episodes in a row. Success! Now my next big challenge is to limit his screen time. One click at a time, folks.