YouTube 101
Millions of people worldwide view YouTube videos every day. Its growth has been explosive and it's great fun for kids who want to see loads of stupid pet tricks or a video of a friend's rock concert. YouTube, at its best, is a great outlet for creative videos that kids can make and share. It also can connect people far and wide and allow us to hear great lectures or see things we might never have access to.

 

But know that YouTube is a pretty freewheeling environment where kids have access to anything and everything (but porn). And if your young teen boy is interested in “sexy girls,”  all he has to do is type in that “tag” and presto: enough dancing nubile girls to make your hair stand on end.

 

The point of YouTube is that posters find audiences. This does not necessarily bring out the best in people. If you search for girl fights, you get 33 pages of nastiness posted by those who sought 15 seconds of fame. And it's not just kids. In February of 2009, a father posted a video of his 7-year-old son who was stoned from treatments at the dentist's office. This humiliating video was viewed 6 million times in the first week.

 

In other words -- YouTube is a tool. It can be used to build great things or tear down the walls of common sense. Like all powerful technologies, it must be used responsibly. But most of  tweens and teens have the means and the know-how to post videos online, often in places that their parents don’t even know exist. All it takes is a cell phone or digital camera that can record videos and an Internet connection, and voila!

 

Here are a few tips for parents about YouTube:

 

1. Go to YouTube and check it out so you know the good, the bad, and the ugly.

2. Check your child’s URL history and see if they've been on YouTube. That’s the easiest way to start the conversation. Ask your kids if they\'ve ever posted anything, and if so, what? Ask them what they enjoy about it.

3. YouTube is NOT for people under the age of 13. The site says that minors ages 13-17 are welcome if they have permission from a parent or legal guardian. But your younger kids who want to see silly animal videos should have you do the searching for them.

4. How can you tell if your kids have posted on YouTube? If they have a MySpace or Facebook page, believe me, the link is there. Follow it.

5. Remind your kids that posting videos can be really fun, but they never know who's watching. YouTube has millions of viewers all over the world. If you let them post, tell your kids to mark their videos as “private” so that only their friends can watch them. (You can figure out how to do this by going to the “Safety Tips” link at the bottom of all YouTube pages.)

6. Tell your kids to make protect their identities. No-nos for videos include license plate numbers and images of your house, their bedroom, or their school. Make sure that all “tags” (search identifiers) don\'t reveal their real names, locations, schools, or anything else that could lead unsavory types to their doors.

7. Report any and all bullying, flaming, or inappropriate communications. Since people can comment on the videos, it can get nasty. Tell your kids to report any harassment immediately. The instructions are on the YouTube Safety Tips page.

8. Kids should report anything they see that\'s hateful, pornographic, or violent. Or they should tell you. And you can report it. YouTube is a self-policing site, so encourage your kids to make it safe for others.

9. If you decide to let your kids post videos, ask to see them first. Your kids probably won’t say yes, but it can’t hurt to ask.

10. Finally, keep the dialogue open between you and your kids. Forbidding older teens to post will just force them underground. You want to make sure your kids feel comfortable coming to you if they\'re bothered by something or someone on the site.