As a doctor and a mom to my 6 and 8-year-old children, I’m often asked about my stance on screen time. People are sometimes surprised to learn that I’m not against it. We love our family movie nights, and I truly believe there is some fantastic educational content available online. Screens are a part of our modern world, and learning to use them in a healthy way is a valuable skill.
That being said, I still advise keeping the amount of screen time within reasonable limits, and there’s one platform we’ve decided to avoid in our home: YouTube.
Setting Healthy Boundaries
Before diving into the “why” behind our no-YouTube rule, it’s helpful to have a baseline. The Canadian Pediatric Society provides clear guidelines for screen use. They recommend prioritizing unplugged, unstructured playtime and focusing on educational, age-appropriate content when screens are used. For children aged 5 and over, they suggest developing a family media plan that establishes consistent limits on screen time. The key is balance and ensuring that digital activities don’t displace important things like sleep, physical activity, and face-to-face connection.
The Problem with YouTube Kids
My decision to remove YouTube, including YouTube Kids, from our devices wasn’t made lightly. It came after I saw firsthand the type of content my children were being exposed to on the app.
Children can be exposed to violent, sexualized, or inappropriate material, even in the supposedly safe “kids” section. Young kids often seek out influencer or gaming videos that aren’t made for their age group, increasing the risk of seeing something harmful.
A 2024 study by Radesky et al. highlighted how YouTube’s algorithm promotes videos with dramatic or flashy thumbnails, which often include sensational or even violent imagery. When children see this kind of content repeatedly, it can influence their behavior, emotions, and worldview. Research has linked this exposure to sleep problems and other emotional and behavioral issues.
The Addictive Nature of the Algorithm
Beyond the content itself, YouTube is designed to be addictive. This is driven by dopamine, a chemical in our brain linked to pleasure and reward. When children watch fast-paced, unpredictable videos, their brains release dopamine. This feels good and encourages them to keep watching, creating a powerful feedback loop.
This reward system is similar to what happens with other addictive behaviors. Because children’s brains are still developing—especially the parts responsible for self-control and decision-making—they are much more sensitive to these dopamine-driven rewards. A 2024 study from Kim et al. explored the link between children’s temperament, YouTube usage patterns, and emotional or behavioral problems. Over time, this constant stimulation can lead to compulsive watching, emotional difficulties, and a struggle to stop, even when a child wants to.
For our family, the potential harms outweighed the benefits. By choosing other platforms and types of content, we can still enjoy the positive aspects of screen time without navigating the risks associated with YouTube’s algorithm and content model.
References:
Radesky J, Bridgewater E, Black S, et al. Algorithmic Content Recommendations on a Video-Sharing Platform Used by Children. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(5):e2413855.
Kim D, Lee S, Kim H, Shin Y. From temperament to YouTube: exploring the link between childhood temperament, YouTube usage patterns, and emotional/behavioral problems among children. BMC Public Health. 2024 Jun 7;24(1):1547.