Study: According to Children, Video Sharing Sites Disturb the Most

When asked about what disturbs them on the Internet, children consider video sharing environments such as YouTube the most dangerous, according to a fresh report by the EU Kids Online project.

The report entitled “In Their Own Words: What Disturbs Children on the Internet?” is based on children’s answers to an open inquiry. In total, 9,904 children from 25 European countries voiced their opinion.

YouTube and Other Video Sites Can Have a Shocking Effect

In their answers, children associate video sites with violence and pornography, as well as other content-related risks. With regard to specific platforms, one-third of the children mentioned some video sharing sites, 29% named more narrow-themed websites, 13% named social networks and 10% referenced computer games.

According to the answers, video sites are perceived as dangerous because their content is real or extremely believable and can be easily shared between friends. The biggest shock to children is seeing cruelty, killings, animal torture or even some news clips.

The Institute of Journalism and Communication of UT represented Estonia in the study.
 
Read more on the homepage of the EU Kids Online and the Estonian research group. The full text of the report is also available.