
YouTube Kids spammers rack up billions of views on disturbing algorithmic videos - rbanffy
https://boingboing.net/2017/11/06/wrong-head-buried-alive.html
======
drcongo
This is your usual boingboing churnalism. Original article is here:
[https://medium.com/@jamesbridle/something-is-wrong-on-the-
in...](https://medium.com/@jamesbridle/something-is-wrong-on-the-
internet-c39c471271d2)

~~~
tyingq
That one does a better job explaining that it's bigger than YouTube.

People are trying to serve up content or products for every long tail set of
keywords someone might search for.

Resulting in stuff like this: [https://cdn-
images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*8Fp9PfzTGKYuegzmB...](https://cdn-
images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*8Fp9PfzTGKYuegzmBWX-Sw.png)

~~~
conanbatt
Talk about niche markets.

------
iaw
I would not trust YouTube unattended with a child, I don't even trust
television unattended with a child.

Things like Netflix and home media servers are the way to go IMO.

~~~
bluGill
Even attended. Things I'm perfectly fine with my kid seeing are often prefixed
by ads that I cannot handle as an adult, much less kids.

~~~
iaw
I know a strong sense of commercialism was imbued in me from an early age by
watching targeted ads. I would not want to do that to any child, I don't think
it's healthy.

~~~
nhoe098nt
I don't know. I grew up the same way, and it really helped me become cynical
about messages from media, which is a good thing. It's kind of like how
European kids are allowed to drink alcohol, and they tend to not be as stupid
with it as us Americans when they're in college. (Or so I'm told.)

~~~
EADGBE
They're just stupid with it in high school, right?

------
hans-strudle
If this article peaked your interest than please read this:
[http://nautil.us/issue/53/monsters/the-last-invention-of-
man](http://nautil.us/issue/53/monsters/the-last-invention-of-man)

It talks about an AI that starts out by producing popular and appealing
content and constantly evolves until it essentially controls and runs the
earth. Its a great read and probably just a coincidence, but maybe this is
exactly what is going on lol.

~~~
ChrisArchitect
Good. related discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15419619](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15419619)

------
tw1010
I see very little difference between this and all the weird shit we and our
parents before us watched on TV and the internet. The article claims that
_this time it 's different_ because the stuff is "deliberately targeted with
content which will traumatise and disturb them". But were not the incredibly
violent things we watched also _deliberately targeted_ to disturb us? That's
the whole aim of a website like liveleak. It doesn't really matter that now
the stuff is computer generated whereas before the stuff was generated by
humans. I think we're underestimating how good people are at creating content
and overestimate how well computers are at doing it.

~~~
loeg
2-5 year olds weren't browsing liveleak.

~~~
tw1010
But they did watch things similar to what a poster linked below
([https://youtu.be/PFDKWbg2xjg](https://youtu.be/PFDKWbg2xjg)), which, barring
the uncanny valley component, I really see little difference between.

------
forkLding
The one thing that worries me is that Youtube is very popular for kids and
children and they tend to replay the same videos that have characters like
superheros or pokemon, many times I've seen parents give kids their Ipad, etc.
and then let them open up youtube. Its also why children toy review videos are
one of the most viewed on Youtube based on socialblade.com because kids have a
lot of time and tend to rewatch favourite videos.

------
UnoriginalGuy
The number of McDonald's ads on YT Kids is quite disturbing partiality as none
are declared as such...

Overall the number of videos that are pure ads is annoying...

~~~
porfirium
That's something I don't understand either. The government here has completely
forbidden tobacco ads. Why not do the same with McDonalds and all that stuff?
Will we have to wait a few decades more for the gov to catch up?

------
pbhjpbhj
There's no way to anti-subscribe is there, like to avoid this appearing in
suggested videos or whatever?

~~~
olegkikin
In the recommended section there is a three-dot button under each video, which
shows up when you mouse over. Click -> "Not interested".

------
dm319
That was surreal.

------
tyingq
Violent cartoons aren't new.
[https://youtu.be/PFDKWbg2xjg](https://youtu.be/PFDKWbg2xjg)

~~~
x0054
Violent cartoons aren't new, but I am a grown man, and after 5 minutes of
watching that I feel dirty and disturbed. I don't think it's the violence,
it's the way they move. They move inhuman, it hurts my brain.

~~~
tw1010
I think you're reacting to the uncanny valley; which I suspect small children
are less susceptible to than us adults are.

