AN urgent warning has been issued to parents over YouTube shows which could be “dangerous” for kids.
As more youngsters tune into the streaming site normal channels have taken a hit.
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An Ofcom report revealed viewers aged between four and 15 only watched 25 minutes of broadcast TV per day in 2021.
Whereas the decade before saw around 69 minutes watched daily.
Faraz Osman, the chairman of Bafta’s children’s advisory committee, said he fears the “endless content” available on the platform can change kids’ viewing habits.
He said parents have been left feeling overwhelmed by the “addictive” programming – which doesn’t seem to end.
Faraz told The Times: “It seems that platforms now reward children’s content that is addictive rather than substantive, silly without being smart and shiny rather than safe.
“We risk leaving our kids unsupervised as they feed themselves low-quality, unhealthy, addictive and at times dangerous content.”
The rise in YouTube shows comes after the funding for kids programmes dropped over £100million in the last 20 years.
Data shows £69million was spent in 2021 compared to £195million in 2002.
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Oli Hyatt, managing director of the firm behind CBeebies’ Alphablocks, said the decline in how much is spent on the industry needs to stop.
He said cuts have meant kids are getting stuck in algorithms and watching shows which don’t have benefits.
