YouTube Kids videos found with suicide instructions



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(Gray News) – YouTube Kids is supposed to be a safe place for kids who want to spend some time on the screen – maybe watching a "PAW Patrol" or singing with "Baby Shark."

But recently, several parents discovered disturbing videos on the site, which led them to wonder if they were safe.

The videos in question contain a 9-second clip of a man who gives tips on how to properly cut the wrists.

"Do not forget the children: on the side to attract attention, in the long run to achieve results. End it. "

Parents who do not watch what their children are watching can easily miss the message as it quickly returns to what looks like normal video.

The mother and pediatrician, Free Hess, posted the clip on her PediMom website and social media accounts.

The original video has since been removed from YouTube and YouTube Kids, but nothing prevents anyone from publishing another one.

"It makes me angry, sad and frustrated," Hess told CNN. "I am a pediatrician and I see more and more children doing self-mutilation and suicide attempts. I have no doubt that social media and that kind of thing contribute to it. "

The YouTube Kids website promises "A safer online experience for kids".

We use a mix of filters, user reviews, and reviewers to keep videos in YouTube Kids. But no system is perfect and inappropriate videos can go unnoticed. So we are constantly striving to improve our warranties and offer more features to help parents create the right experience for their families.
YouTube kids

On his blog, Hess explains that "self-destructive and suicidal promotional content" is a big problem.

"Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34, and the number of children with some form of self-injury is increasing rapidly," Hess said. "Every year, 157,000 young people between the ages of 10 and 24 come to emergency services for self-inflicted injuries and / or suicide attempts."

She said it was important that parents educate and monitor carefully what their children are watching. In this way, they can report inappropriate content to social media platforms so they can recover it.

Copyright 2019 Gray Television Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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