Children can be as little as three-clicks away from adult content on YouTube, research from Kaspersky Lab has revealed.
Coinciding with today's Safer Internet Day, Kaspersky has been looking into the suggested video content from YouTube that features alongside children’s TV shows such as Peppa Pig or Dora the Explorer. By accessing these suggested videos, children can gain access to violent and suggestive music videos, post watershed television clips or other inappropriate content very easily and within a few clicks.
The potential risk of children becoming exposed to such content highlights the need for parental controls and that children should be supervised whilst browsing.
“It is worrying to see just how simple it is for children to access videos of an adult nature on YouTube,” said David Emm, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky Labs. “With younger generations becoming more IT literate and parents increasingly turning to mobile devices, online games and apps as a means of entertaining their kids, these results highlight the importance of taking steps to protect them online.”
Children are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about the inner workings of websites and the internet in general, especially as apps and websites are designed to be deliberately intuitive so that they are accessible to a wider audience. Quickly gainer access to more mature content very easily should be something that parents are aware of, especially because of the risks they present.
“As the parent of a five year old boy with a keen interest in Fireman Sam and Power Rangers, this is an issue I’m really concerned about,” said mother of two Angela Woodward. “Although I’m careful to monitor Sam’s activity when he goes online, in the past he’s been able to click through to things that aren’t suitable for his age.”
“Safer Internet Day is all about educating and promoting safer, more responsible behaviour for young people, but adults must take responsibility too,” added Emm. “Having parental controls in place is vital and can be highly effective in combatting objectionable material.”
YouTube’s Safety Mode can be a helpful aid to limit the amount of adult content appears on the site, but it isn’t always 100 per cent effective.
Have you noticed there is an increase in adult content found online? How do you protect your family members from accessing inappropriate content? Let us know via the Trusted Reviews Facebook and Twitter pages or use the comments section below.