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Mum warns of suicide messages hidden in children's YouTube videos


Disturbing content, including videos showing children how to commit suicide, have reportedly appeared on popular video-streaming platforms YouTube and YouTube Kids, a shocked mother has found.

The pediatrician said she was concerned to discover disturbing videos on YouTube instructing kids how to kill themselves spliced just moments into doctored clips popular with children.

Disturbing content, including videos showing how to commit suicide, has appeared on video-streaming platform YouTube and YouTube Kids. Source: YouTube
Disturbing content, including videos showing how to commit suicide, has appeared on video-streaming platform YouTube and YouTube Kids. Source: YouTube

During one cartoon, a man appeared on the screen giving instructions on how to commit suicide, she told the Washington Post.

“I was shocked,” Dr Hess said, adding that the scene has been inserted into several more YouTube and YouTube Kids videos from the popular Nintendo game Splatoon.

In a recent post on her parenting blog site Pedimom Dr Hess also warned other parents about the self harm clip, as well as other doctored videos featuring popular video games like Minecraft. Among those were scenes depicting school shootings, a cartoon about human trafficking, and others glorifying child suicide.

Clips like this doctored Minecraft video that depicts a school shooting have appeared on YouTube. Source: PediMom/YouTube
Clips like this doctored Minecraft video that depicts a school shooting have appeared on YouTube. Source: PediMom/YouTube

Dr Hess, from Florida, US, has been pushing to have the confronting YouTube clips removed, backed by other parents and child health experts.

“I think it’s extremely dangerous for our kids,” Dr Hess told the news outlet.

“I think our kids are facing a whole new world with social media and internet access. It’s changing the way they’re growing, and it’s changing the way they’re developing. I think videos like this put them at risk.”

Youtube says it has strict policies on ‘self harm’ material

YouTube spokesperson Andrea Faville told the Washington Post the company works to ensure it is “not used to encourage dangerous behaviour” saying it has “strict policies” prohibiting videos which promote self-harm.

“We rely on both user flagging and smart detection technology to flag this content for our reviewers,” Ms Faville said.

The videos follows mounting pressure for the world’s largest video-sharing platform to monitor and remove problematic content. Some advertisers have already begun boycotting the site until it can improve its algorithms to prevent their ads from appearing next to extremist clips promoting hate and violence.

The mother’s warning comes after female gamers revealed the torrent of offensive messages and graphic pictures sent to them online by men, forcing them to quit playing in order to escape the abuse.

If you are concerned about the mental health of yourself or a loved one, seek support and information by calling Lifeline 13 11 14, Mensline 1300 789 978, the Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467, or Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36.

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