I S S U E 6 : F E B R U A R Y Hanover Hints Connecting schools, students, and families Things You Should Know About YouTube YouTube is meant for people 13 years old and up What is YouTube? YouTube (www.youtube.com) is a free website where anyone can view video content, upload (share) their own video content, or both. According to YouTube’s statistics, over 3 billion hours of video footage are watched each month on YouTube, and about 1 hour of video content is uploaded to YouTube every second. Like the Internet in general, YouTube can be an excellent source of entertainment, exploration, and even educational information, but parents and kids should be aware of the limits, benefits, and even hazards YouTube has to offer. Children under the age of 13 cannot create their own YouTube account! Those who do so and are identified by YouTube can face consequences from both YouTube and their parent company, Google. YouTube is a communitypatrolled site, and you are a part of that community! While there are professionals whose job is solely reviewing video content, there is no possible way that all video footage can be reviewed by YouTube professionals—therefore, your presence counts as far as flagging inappropriate content! In this Issue: Things You Should Know About YouTube: Advice for Parents Regarding Kids Watching Content: If Your Kids are Watching and Uploading Content: Some basic facts to cover and consider before digging into the world of YouTube Basic advice for parents regarding their kids viewing YouTube videos Some guidelines to consider for kids who upload, in addition to view, videos YouTube can be fun, but it can also be unsafe Like cyberspace in general, anonymity on YouTube can result in some negative side effects such as bullying, threats, and exposure to inappropriate content. HANOVER HINTS ISSUE 6: FEBRUARY If your kids are watching and uploading (sharing/posting) content… Advice for parents regarding kids watching content… Familiarize yourself with YouTube  Go to YouTube and browse around. It will help for you to be familiar with navigation and content when discussing YouTube safety with your family. 1. Set rules There are certain key points to stress with your kids regarding content they cannot include in their videos for safety reasons in order to protect their identity. Content that is never Ok to post includes: Turn on Safety Mode  As long as you have a YouTube account and are logged in, you can turn on “Safety Mode.” Safety mode replaces inappropriate text with asterisks (*) and filters out video content labeled with certain key words, such as “nudity.” Once safety mode is turned on, it can be locked so that only the person with the password to the account can turn it off. Safety Mode certainly isn’t perfect, but it’s better than no filter at all. • • • • • • 2. Watch every video they post If you make a decision to allow your kids to post/upload videos, make it very clear to them that you need to watch their videos before they are posted. While this can seem annoying to kids, make sure to remind them YouTube is a worldwide site where practically anyone can see their videos, and you need to make sure they are being safe, both for the good of your child and for the safety of their entire family. Talk with your kids about YouTube    Ask them if they’ve been to the site, have an account, viewed videos, or uploaded videos. Chat about videos they like and what kinds of videos they search for. This opens a dialog to talk about the benefits and drawbacks of YouTube, in addition to safety. Drive home the fact that YouTube is a self-policed site and that everyone—including your kids—has a responsibility to keep it safe and fun. This sense of responsibility can really empower your kids to feel comfortable reporting inappropriate content, whether to you or to YouTube. Inappropriate content should be “flagged” (by your child or you if your child does not want to do it) so that it can be brought to the attention of YouTube for further investigation, review, and possible removal. 3. Have your kids mark their videos as “private” By marking videos as private, only friends have access to them for viewing and commenting. Without this step, anyone can watch and comment on videos, and comments can be both cruel and inappropriate. 4. Have kids block anyone who is a negative influence/presence Be prepared to talk about whatever comes up  By blocking certain users, that person can no longer access your child’s videos or post any comments. It’s an almost inevitable fact that your kids will come across some sort of content that makes them uncomfortable, is inappropriate, or sparks some questions. As a parent, you should be prepared to honestly discuss this content with your kids. Some topics to prepare for include inappropriate language, violence, sexual content, bullying/harassment, and drugs. Helpful Resources YouTube has many helpful videos and directions regarding safety mode, general safety for kids and teens, blocking users, and how to flag inappropriate content. For more info, go to: Try not to ban kids from YouTube altogether  A child’s, friend’s or family member’s full name Footage of the outside of their house Street name/address/house number License plates The location of peoples’ bedrooms School names/locations This often results in viewing/posting content without your knowledge, and therefore, makes you, as a parent, less informed. It’s important that your kids feel that they can talk to you if they come across footage that is upsetting, bothersome, or questionable. Make sure your kids know that anything that bothers them can—and should—be reported, whether to you or to YouTube. www.google.com/support/youtube You can also check out: surfnetkids.com/go/safety/category/youtube commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/youtube-and-your-kids 2