Are you watching what they are watching? The impact of videos on your child's mental health
"Can we have some screen time...." is probably the most common request directed at us from our children. The electronic time in question usually means watching videos on YouTube, Twitch, or Tik Tok or some other streaming site. The videos that they watch can vary from gameplay (YouTubers playing one or more titles whilst commentating on them), short videos made by other users, or even videos shared by their friends. This appears to be the new "in thing" as my kids never fail to remind me. Apparently, playing the games themselves is now less cool than watching other people play them! These videos can last from a few seconds to anything over an hour. Some videos can come in "series". Our little man once told us that he was watching video number 72 of 145 of a legend of Zelda walk-through!
Clearly, our children are sometimes spending astonishing amounts of time watching and consuming this content. What impact might it have on their mental health? How aware are we of what they are watching and the potential positive and negative impacts on their mental health? As a Child Psychiatrist, when I see young people in my clinics in the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Hervey Bay, a common strategy of engaging young people is talking about their interests. In recent months, almost without exception young people are watching videos. It also strikes me how often parents are unaware of the kind of videos that they are watching.
Whilst the majority of videos have educational or entertainment value, the child's developmental level and age should be kept in mind whilst considering the potential impact of the content. While COD (that's Call Of Duty for the uninitiated👦) gameplay may be appropriate for a 15-year-old, the very realistic violence is probably too much for a pre-teen. Some prank shows may be age-inappropriate depending on the content. There is a simple fix - the age filter on youtube.
At other times, the threat is much harder to detect but the impact is very real. This arises from violent content aimed specifically at young children. A couple of years ago inappropriate cartoon videos made their way onto youtube featuring mickey mouse and Peppa pig among others. The Guardian has reported on this phenomenon. It reports the psychological impact of such content on previously well-adjusted children. This includes nightmares, being fearful of being left alone, or clinginess to their parents. I saw a family in the clinic recently whose 5-year-old son was deeply impacted by watching videos of Bendy and the ink machine. This is a cartoon horror survival video game, potentially very engaging for the teenage gamer but frightening for a 5-year-old. He told me " everyone in my (prep) class is watching it".
So, how do we protect our children from this content? The simplest solutions are technological. Turn on the age filter on Youtube, keep an eye on your child's browser history, or install a monitoring software such as Netnanny or Qustodio on your child's device. The more time-intensive solutions involve physically keeping an eye on what they watch or watching with them. You can then monitor whether you are happy for your kids to watch that content. This will also allow you to appear cooler and more knowledgeable with their friends!
There is tonnes of video content out there and the appropriateness depends on your child's age, developmental level, and your level of comfort with the content. There is no rocket science to this but there are guidelines and its best to follow your instinct and the age rating on the content. Finally, there's the motto that has been passed through the ages; if in doubt "google it!".
At other times, the threat is much harder to detect but the impact is very real. This arises from violent content aimed specifically at young children. A couple of years ago inappropriate cartoon videos made their way onto youtube featuring mickey mouse and Peppa pig among others. The Guardian has reported on this phenomenon. It reports the psychological impact of such content on previously well-adjusted children. This includes nightmares, being fearful of being left alone, or clinginess to their parents. I saw a family in the clinic recently whose 5-year-old son was deeply impacted by watching videos of Bendy and the ink machine. This is a cartoon horror survival video game, potentially very engaging for the teenage gamer but frightening for a 5-year-old. He told me " everyone in my (prep) class is watching it".
So, how do we protect our children from this content? The simplest solutions are technological. Turn on the age filter on Youtube, keep an eye on your child's browser history, or install a monitoring software such as Netnanny or Qustodio on your child's device. The more time-intensive solutions involve physically keeping an eye on what they watch or watching with them. You can then monitor whether you are happy for your kids to watch that content. This will also allow you to appear cooler and more knowledgeable with their friends!
There is tonnes of video content out there and the appropriateness depends on your child's age, developmental level, and your level of comfort with the content. There is no rocket science to this but there are guidelines and its best to follow your instinct and the age rating on the content. Finally, there's the motto that has been passed through the ages; if in doubt "google it!".
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