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Cocomelon is designed to be addictive (www.youtube.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/parenting@lemmy.world
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I though that Cocomelon videos are just dumb videos to keep children distracted, but I didn't know that they are purposefully designed to keep children hooked. What's your stance on their videos?

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[–] 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I would've guessed every single show for kids on YouTube is meant to be addictive. Probably even on regular/streamed TV. Bluey though, can do no harm.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I gatekeep my children's access to YouTube/Netflix/Disney content, basically only allowing certain channels.

    Super Simple Songs is one that my kids basically learned a bunch of songs from, and remain part of the audio playlists that I put together for my kids. The affiliated "shows" (Bumble Nums, Mr. Monkey) seem OK by my standards. They seem professionally produced and not geared to manipulate kids' attention spans. I wouldn't go as far as to say that they're truly educational, but they do introduce some concepts that I can flesh out on my own with my kids.

    Storybots on Netflix is probably my favorite thing for them to watch. Good educational content that is actually accurate without being overwhelming. The songs are pretty fun, too.

    Bluey is great. There's a genuineness to it that is pretty unique in children's programming.

    Octonauts is good for teaching about animals in the ocean, but I don't enjoy watching it myself. They don't really bake in stuff to keep the parents engaged, in my opinion.

    PBS content (and Sesame Street content wherever licensed) seems pretty good. My kids don't actively stay as engaged as with some shows, but they have enjoyed Wild Kratts, Daniel Tiger, Curious George, and some other programming.

    I actively avoid Paw Patrol, and Cocomelon is outright forbidden in the house. Also, a bunch of colorful kids channels on YouTube are banned, too. I don't need that short attention span brainrot, especially when my kids already likely have mild ADHD (just as I do).

    Things will get more challenging as they get older, but while they're still in toddler and elementary age I can still largely keep them away from the vast majority of YouTube and steer them towards professional/studio produced programming, especially by nonprofits.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    Bluey is great. There's a genuineness to it that is pretty unique in children's programming.

    Octonauts is good for teaching about animals in the ocean, but I don't enjoy watching it myself.

    These are the two I've watched. We have no paid streaming services. Couldn't agree more about both of those points you made. 👍

    We also get Paw Patrol, and the kids love it. Or at least used to. What specifically makes you actively avoid it?

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I'm fully aware that I sound like a snob when I say this, but the world building in Paw Patrol seems like a mess. And sure, I get that people get bored of the same rescue plots over and over, so they had to introduce a villain (Mayor Humdinger and all his cat allies trying to cause trouble), and then some kind of supernatural meteor that gives the dogs super powers, and then some mermaid dog society in the mix. Like, pick a lane: is this show about first responders or superheroes or mermaid dogs? And what should I make of the fact that cats are inherently villainous, unless they can talk, at which point they're good guys?

    Just seemed like it's sloppy world building and I don't like it, so I don't need my kids watching it, either. Not a particularly good reason, but my kids aren't really clamoring for it.

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