According to a new study by Ewha Women's University in Seoul and the University of California at Davis, YouTube videos with negative interactions have drastic effects on the mental health of children. There have been many speculations about whether YouTube videos affect the mental health of children or not, and now this study proves that there is a link between children watching negative YouTube videos and the underdevelopment of social skills in them.
For the study, 341 parents were asked to provide data about their kids between the ages of 4 and 6. Parents were asked about how much their kids watch YouTube videos and what are types of videos they watch, positive or negative. The study didn't find any link between watching YouTube videos about negative things like threats, attacks, and interruptions and self-regulation in children. But the study found that these kinds of videos can contribute to high levels of anxiety in children and can lead to lower social skills.
YouTube offers a wide variety of videos that children can watch but it is also important to keep an eye on what kind of things they are watching. There was an incident in 2017 known as ElsaGate in which many pop-culture characters were made to be in age inappropriate situations in kids content. Children's content is wide-reaching and South Korea’s KIMPRO is an example of it as it is now being used internationally by children as well.
Image: DIW-Aigen
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For the study, 341 parents were asked to provide data about their kids between the ages of 4 and 6. Parents were asked about how much their kids watch YouTube videos and what are types of videos they watch, positive or negative. The study didn't find any link between watching YouTube videos about negative things like threats, attacks, and interruptions and self-regulation in children. But the study found that these kinds of videos can contribute to high levels of anxiety in children and can lead to lower social skills.
YouTube offers a wide variety of videos that children can watch but it is also important to keep an eye on what kind of things they are watching. There was an incident in 2017 known as ElsaGate in which many pop-culture characters were made to be in age inappropriate situations in kids content. Children's content is wide-reaching and South Korea’s KIMPRO is an example of it as it is now being used internationally by children as well.
Read next:
• Cybercrime Losses Reach $16.6B in 2024, Seniors Lose $4.8B, FBI Gets 860K Complaints, Crypto Tops $9.3B
• AI Disrupts SaaS Growth: 39% of Mid-Sized Software Firms Struggle to Keep Up in 2024
