Jeez GM!

Kodi, Plex or similar self hosted with content curated by you is the way forward. And ofc no smartphones or tablets for kids until they are 13-15 ish. There's a reason lots of parents who design, implement and optimize addictive online platforms for a living deny their kids smartphones/tablets.

We’ve entered a new age of parenting. As everyone on Nostr knows - if you create scarcity, you create value and desire. I don’t think banning your kids from screens or YouTube is the right strategy (I’m not saying you’re suggesting this). Personally I take an interest in what my kids are watching and we talk about it openly. I read a paper many years ago just before I became a parent, it suggested that to keep your kids safe online, it’s important to teach them about risk and expose them to it in the real world. Eg let them climb trees, take them on adventures, and challenge them physically. The theory being that risk management is a learned skill - and what is learned IRL, transfers directly to the digital world. It’s worked so far for us. There’s some dark shit out there, and I see it as my job to arm my kids to navigate and deal with it. And for a bonus points, do it without breaching your kids privacy and constantly spying on them remotely. We’re inadvertently creating a generation of people where 24/7 surveillance is normalised and accepted.

I fully agree. My children are learning by doing, I encourage them to make mistakes. Banning them from stuff (or screen) is not part of that strategy. I also not monitoring them (just I don't like to be monitored, I treat them as I would like to be treated as child). What is shocking to me, is that I have less and less agency over time as a parent using YouTube (Kids). The agency is moving towards to the players who are in there for the profits. And those profits are being made at the expense of our well-being. That's disgusting. That's a big price we're paying. Many people out there are not aware of that (that's my opinion / expierence).

💯💯 self-curated content is the way!

The physical equivalent to youtube kids seems to me to be like a toy store or playground filled with sexually suggestive and violent shit, as a parent I wouldn't go to that playground with my kid. Why do most people give youtube a pass just because it's an online platform?

Totally agree. It seems YouTube, Spotify etc are all compromising everything in the name of profit (greed)........viewers and genuine creators lose out.

I agree to a certain degree. Today's "content" isn't just subtle messaging or grooming, its a blatant psychological attack on the youngest of minds. It's not somewhat harmless depending or not if you chat about it, it's literally designed to rewire a brain and it has been perfected. Its like saying "sure son, try heorion but let's talk about it after mmmkay?".

Yeah I’m not letting them watch that shit, to be clear. That’s why we talk about what they’re watching…..and they’d know pregnant Sonic the Hedgehog is really freaking creepy.

Hah yeah wow that's next level!

"Personally I take an interest in what my kids are watching and we talk about it openly." <- Exactly. This is how it was always done. You went hunting, it wasn't "here's the spear, don't get hurt". You showed, you talked through it (we can pause a video and talk about their perspectives, etc) and very importantly, using the gunting example, talked about how the killing affects the animal and use spiritualy. Such a privilege to be a father, investing in our kids (even those without it can help in the community) is how we ensure they have the best chance they aren't scammed by poor mentors in life.

It's really unfathomable how bad it is, I am disgusted 🤢

I have all the shows I loved and enjoyed on a self hosted jellyfin media server. So no surprises even if it continues playing

This is the way. You can even share it in your community (since most people are not into running servers at home :D)

How does that works? 👀 I know Jellyfin but not that specific feature

You could use a wireguard tunnel, or you need to make it available on the internet.

Ah, Tailscale does that trick 🤙🏻 I get it