How to Protect Kids From Harassing Peppa Pig Videos on YouTube
I’m fine with Peppa Pig . Peppa is a charmingly imperfect pig child, and Pig dad, despite fitting into the stereotype of a fooled father, makes me giggle. And who can resist George’s unequivocal obsession with Mr. Dinosaur? I don’t really protest when my four-year-old daughter asks to watch a British preschool cartoon, and the quickest way to find an episode is to grab an iPad and type “Peppa Pig” on YouTube.
But online security experts warn that this is not the best search method. Investigation has shown that thousands of YouTube videos containing violent and disturbing content are posing as real Peppa cartoons . According to Engadget , a new study says such content is “indistinguishable from regular children’s programming” and is becoming increasingly difficult for the police.
Peppa Pig is certainly not the only popular kids show that’s aggressively faked, but since it’s not available in the US on standard subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu, many parents look for the full episodes on YouTube. This is where the uncertainty lies. As Laura June writes in The Outline , “Faking Peppa Pig is a nightmare.” The reporter goes into detail about one clip she spotted while watching her little daughter: Peppa, who is mysteriously green, not pink, is ridiculed by a dentist with a giant needle and scary instruments. Another video appears to show Peppa and her friend burning down someone’s house. One clip shows two “gangster” pigs smoking cigarettes and armed with knives and pistols.
Clayton Ostler, product director of parental control software for Net Nanny , told me that while technology has improved the detection of live video content such as terrorism, violence or pornography, “cartoons are still far behind.” Here’s what he says parents can do to keep their kids safe.
Enable all filters
Start with the biggest ones – use YouTube Kids, which filters content for kids, and turn on Safe Search . However, even with these guarantees, “fake cartoons can slip away,” Ostler said. When searching, look for videos from trusted channels such as Peppa Pig or the official Disney Channel page on YouTube. (Note: These channels may offer more limited content.) Parental control software such as Net Nanny can use filters to scan the entire page on which the video appears, including comments. Therefore, if it is noted in the comments to the video that the fake Peppa Pig video is aggressive or disturbing, the filter should detect this. “As a parent, be sure to comment when you find these videos to warn other parents and report YouTube as“ violent or repulsive, ”says Ostler.
Make a playlist
For added protection, Ostler says parents can only create a playlist for their kids with videos from reputable sources and trusted channels. This is especially effective for watching YouTube videos on a smart TV – young children cannot easily navigate from one video to the next using the remote control.
Maintain an open dialogue with your children about what they see on the Internet and keep watching what they are watching
It’s tricky – YouTube fake cartoons seem to be designed to trick and confuse young children, so they often don’t know that what they’re seeing isn’t the real Peppa, or Doc McStaffins, or Spider-Man. It is important for parents to keep talking to their children about what they are watching and to make sure they feel comfortable telling you if they see something they don’t like or understand. If they’re too young for that, it’s probably best to either watch the show with them or go to YouTube for a bit.