If your child has announced that their future career is going to be a YouTuber, you’re definitely not alone. Kids wanting to pursue a career in fame certainly isn’t new — the difference is that YouTube success feels much more accessible, for better or for worse. After all, on the surface, it looks as easy as grabbing a camera and uploading a video.
So, how should parents respond? The true answer to this question will vary from family to family, but we’re going to offer a balanced perspective that may help give parents some guidance. And if you decide you want to allow your child to dip their toes into content creation, we’ve got some practical tips, too.
Should I Encourage This?
This is where many parents feel the tension when their child declares their newfound career aspiration. On the one hand, you want to encourage your child’s hobbies and interests, no matter what they may be. Video creation is, after all, a very creative outlet. On the other hand, that would also mean encouraging more screen time and exposure to the internet.
The good news is that this doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing decision. You don’t have to ban it entirely or give your kids free rein to post whatever they want. So it’s less about if you should allow it, and more about how you allow it. Let’s dig in more!
Focus on the Hobby, Not the Numbers
The first step is setting the tone. Make it more about the creative outlet and learning about the process of creating and uploading a video. Some kids may have their sights set more on the views and subscriber count, but do your best to steer them more towards the creating side rather than people’s responses to it. You don’t have to completely discourage or dismiss their dreams of making it big on YouTube, but you’ll want to foster the proper creativity and work ethic needed to be a YouTuber (not to mention tons of other jobs they may end up doing).
As an example, this parent shares how she specifically went through this process with her child, including how she guided the brainstorming and content creation steps for their child.
Make Safety Number One
Familiarize yourself with YouTube’s guidelines for child accounts
YouTube has guidelines and rules for child accounts, both as a subscriber and creator. YouTube says children under 13 are not supposed to be using or posting videos on their own accounts. Accounts under 13 are required to have parental permission and be supervised through Google Family Link. You can find their guidelines for child creators on YouTube’s site for more details.
Own the Channel (and the Password)
We recommend that the parent be the sole owner of the channel. Set the password and don’t share it with your child. This way, you can fully manage the access your child has and the settings for the channel.
We also strongly recommend making videos either private or unlisted when you post. There are three visibility options when posting:
- Public: Anyone can find and watch the video and it will show up in search results.
- Unlisted: Anyone with the direct link to the video. It will not show up in search results or on your channel's video tab (this is the best option if you want to share with close friends and family).
- Private: Only you and specific YouTube users you invite via email. It will not show up in search or on your channel.
Similarly, we suggest keeping the comments off for each video. This creates a buffer between your child and the wider internet and ensures they don’t get exposed to unwanted content.
Prioritize Your Child’s Privacy
Even with a private channel, it’s important to take privacy precautions in the videos. This helps keep your child safe and serves as a great opportunity to teach them healthy digital habits. Avoid sharing personal information such as:
- Full name
- Address
- School
- Phone number
Pay attention to details in the background as well. For example, make sure your child isn’t wearing clothing with their school name or logo. Some families may even choose not to show their child’s face on camera at all, which is a completely valid option.
Set Clear Rules and Boundaries
Before any video gets posted, be sure to sit down with your child and make your expectations clear. Consider writing them out as a tech contract specific to their channel. These things will look different for each family, but we’ve listed out some examples that may be helpful as you think about what your expectations are.
- “I (the parent) will be the manager of this channel by keeping the login information.”
- “Every video will be vetted by me before posting.”
- “The channel will be private, and comments will be turned off.”
- “Videos must be appropriate content [insert examples of inappropriate content that are not allowed].”
- “You (the child) cannot share videos without my permission.”
- “These are the consequences if any rules are broken [list chosen consequences].”
How Bark Can Help
No matter what access your child has to the internet, all parents could use a helping hand to manage their child’s online safety. Bark helps parents by offering parental controls such as alerting you to inappropriate content, blocking apps and sites, and setting schedules for balanced screen time throughout the day. You can use the Bark app to protect your children’s devices, or get one of our products with the parental controls already built in, such as the Bark Phone or Bark Watch. Check out our suite of products to see which one is the best fit for your family.
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Bark helps families manage and protect their children’s digital lives.
