engleski

Children’s Interaction with YouTube Content from Parental Viewpoint

There has been an increase in the amount of time that children spend consuming digital media since the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic, with YouTube videos being one of the most frequently used sources of fun and education. Despite the fact that YouTube has a plethora of affirmative and didactic contents, provides different perspectives on various issues, as well as a wide range of creative ideas for children and teenagers, recent studies suggest that children mostly watch videos with inappropriate content or content with product placement that aims at gaining more views, leading to greater profit and listing in recommended feeds. In this regard, parents as the first educators of their children can play a significant role. Therefore, the aim of this research was to determine what kind of contents children follow on YouTube and explore the role of parents in choosing and controlling the content that children watch. The questions addressed in this research relate to whether children watch entertainment or educational content available on YouTube, and whether in that process they are exposed to the (c)overt advertising, and to what extent. For that purpose, a questionnaire was designed, distributed online and filled in by parents. The results provide insight into how parents perceive children's watching of YouTube videos, their own monitoring role regarding children's interaction with YouTube videos, and their assessment of the videos’ educational value. The results also show that young children primarily watch entertainment rather than educational contents.

digital advertising, educational video, entertainment video, parental control

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