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  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Personal broadcasting; sometimes too personal.

updated 03.10.09

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Know your kid.
 

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Videos don't always show the best role models.
  • Violence:

    There are violent videos, including violent anime. Many videos aren't violent at all.
  • Sex:

    Although you can't automatically get to the porn videos without logging in, anyone can lie about his age and get an account.
  • Language:

    Language in the videos and viewer comments is often crude and lewd. But, some videos don't have any profanity at all.
  • Consumerism:

    Some ads for movies, etc.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    References to all kinds of substances in some of the videos and user comments.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About YouTube

Parents need to know that the site says it's not for kids under 13 and suggests that even kids 13-17 get permission from their parents before viewing. Some videos include graphic sex and violence, and language can be quite crude. As for postings, parents of teens should check out what their kids are uploading if they can. The performance aspects of YouTube don't always bring out our kids' best judgment.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the appeal of homemade videos. What do you find interesting about the videos posted on YouTube? If you post videos yourself, what are you trying to accomplish or what message are you trying to convey in your submissions?
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Our Members Say

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  • What did you think about YouTube?
  •  I think this Web site is

    for ages

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See all 199 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer
    Age 13
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative message
    • Safety is an issue
    • User content isn't age appropriate

    Funny for older peeps, but not for the younger ones!

    I use this site but only to get on videos that i am sure about...

  2. Teen Reviewer
    Age 13
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • User content isn't age appropriate

    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Safety isn't an issue

    For mature teens and up

    Awesome website for entertainment. But some of the language and sexual content are too much for tweens and younger

  3. Teen Reviewer
    Age 13
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message

    • My highlights are:
    • User content is age appropriate

    YouTube is great for entertainment; Some content problems

    YouTube is my second most visited website (the first being Facebook). I absolutely love it! It is full of funny, outrageous people. But, if you want the truth, it is full of cursing, sexual content, and violence. Some users bleep, others don't. Some users are a constant berate of racism, homophobia, and sexism, others are opened-minded, great people. YouTube is like life; some people is crazy jerks, others aren't. Your kid is probably smart enough to understand which are the crazy ones.

  4. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Ohio
    I rate this title iffy for age 16 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

  5. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in South Carolina
    I rate this title iffy for age 16 and give it 3.0

    Opinions of Youtube

    After being a Youtube member for the last few years, I have actually considered the concerns many people should be facing when letting your child join these sites or watch videos on them. There are many things such as false advertising with examples such as "Naruto Episode #" which your child, if not like most children, would want to watch it, would click it and find that the video is nothing but something completely different, sexually oriented, offensive or otherwise damaging to the sensitive younger ages. As Youtube is now opening it's own Anime section where your child may have access to many anime which would be fun for your child, I would have to say watch out for certain cartoons that they may watch. Some titles that I would personally have my own child, if I had one, avoid, would have to be as follows: Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni, Blood+, Trinity Blood, Elfen Lied, Metalocalypse, and many other gory, and disturbing cartoons. Please keep a close monitor on your child's viewing of this website as you many have some trouble on your hands should you choose to believe that what your child watches has any pressing on whom your child may become. The suggested age here, 16+!

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