A couple of my teenage nieces recently invited me to join them watching videos on YouTube. We laughed our way through several stunts gone wrong, watched a few music videos and admired precious babies. But a red flag was raised. While there are many funny and educational videos posted on the site (who hasn't laughed at "Charlie bit my finger"), there is also plenty of indecent, profane and just plain distasteful stuff on there, too. This fun variety channel of entertainment can quickly turn into R-rated material just waiting to be discovered by a curious kid.

According to research conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, YouTube is very popular among 8- to 18-year-olds. Visiting YouTube is their third most popular online pursuit, following social networking and playing games:

• 81 percent say they have watched a video on the Internet
• 15 minutes is the average amount of time spent on YouTube daily

The amount of video content on YouTube is staggering. According to the site, "More than 13 million hours of video were uploaded during 2010 and 35 hours of video are uploaded every minute." Even though YouTube has policies banning s*xualized content, p*rnography, hate speech, gratuitous violence, bullying, or predatory behavior, with this much content being added daily, there is a strong likelihood that a lot of damaging content can potentially slip through. Further, the site relies on users to police themselves, which doesn't always work (or work fast enough). Only if enough people flag a video will it be reviewed by YouTube staff and possibly removed.

As bad as some of the content can be, I am saddened when I see teen girls and boys posting attention-seeking videos, exposing their vulnerability to an uncaring audience. These needy kids may be very "popular" online judging by the number of people viewing their homemade videos (some in the tens of thousands of views), but so many of the comments are rude, profane and hurtful. At what cost does a young person expose herself on YouTube? She will surely find the attention she seeks, but it may be s*xualized or belittling. Reading thousands of comments from people swearing or making fun of your singing or skit will surely have an impact on fragile teen emotions. Acting out for negative attention and receiving it creates a lifelong pattern.

What's the solution? Do you ban your children from ever going to YouTube? No doubt some will make that choice. Filtering software can effectively block the entire site. Yet, others may want to learn more about what is posted on YouTube and go online with their children to see what interests them. These shared experiences will naturally open up opportunities to talk about the negative elements and instill stronger values in youth. With so many young people using this site, about the only choice a parent can't afford to make is to do nothing.

To help you learn more about the dangers and benefits of YouTube, we've linked below to an excellent article series by Focus on the Family. Have a happy and safe summer!

Rachel Loy

Communications & Community Outreach Coordinator