“Don’t sit so close to the TV,” my mum always used to say, but this generation is likely to hear “Don’t click that thumbnail” forever echoing in the back of their minds. While once I might have loaded up a quick YouTube video to keep the little darlings entertained while I get to one of the many neglected chores, Big G’s once-loved video service is now banned in this household. Between the adult-themed ads and wildly inappropriate thumbnails, I’m sure I’m not alone in turning my back on the internet’s biggest entertainment portal. And that’s before we even get into this year’s YouTube ad-blocking saga.
Of course, leaving children and even teenagers to delve, unfettered, into the murky YouTube depths has always been a bad idea. Google’s algorithms are infamously designed to lure you down the rabbit hole, and impressionable minds are all the more susceptible. However, these latest issues highlight just how little grasp Google actually has on the content published on its platform and reaffirms the mess that stems from an uncurated platform. There’s just too much content to police, and that’s particularly bad news for parents.