For our generation, TV was a schedule. For our kids, YouTube is an environment. It’s their search engine, their music player, their social currency, and their primary source of humor. If you feel like you’re losing the battle against the algorithm, you’re not alone—about 95% of teens and roughly 80% of kids aged 5-11 are on the platform regularly.

But there is a massive difference between a kid watching Veritasium explain physics and a kid falling down a rabbit hole of "Only Up" gameplay videos with a creator screaming at 110 decibels.

If your kid says "Only in Ohio" when something weird happens, or starts singing about toilets, they aren't losing their minds—they’ve just been colonized by YouTube Shorts.

Skibidi Toilet is a series of shorts created in Garry's Mod (a sandbox game) featuring heads popping out of toilets. It sounds like a fever dream because it basically is. It’s the "brain rot" epicenter. Is it harmful? Not inherently. It’s just the modern version of Ren & Stimpy or Beavis and Butt-Head, only faster, weirder, and optimized to keep a 9-year-old’s dopamine levels spiking.

"Ohio" has become shorthand for "weird, chaotic, or cursed." It’s a meme that took on a life of its own. When they use these terms, they’re just signaling they’re part of the "in-group" that understands the current digital lore. It’s harmless, but it’s a sign they’re spending significant time in the Shorts feed, which is where the most addictive, low-quality content usually lives.

Read our guide on understanding Gen Alpha slang

Jimmy Donaldson is the most influential person on the planet for kids. His videos are high-budget spectacles—giving away houses, surviving in the wild, or recreating Squid Game (without the murder).

If you want to feel good about your kid’s screen time, this is the one. Mark is a former NASA engineer who builds glitter bombs to catch porch pirates and giant squirrel obstacle courses. He explains the "why" behind the science without it feeling like a lecture. This is the "Gold Standard" for YouTube content.

Let’s be real: LankyBox is exhausting. It’s two guys playing Roblox or reacting to memes while screaming, using bright colors, and pushing merchandise every thirty seconds. It’s pure "brain rot" in the sense that it provides zero intellectual value, but for many kids, it’s the digital equivalent of a bag of Skittles. Fine in small doses, but it will make them "screen-fried" if they watch it for two hours straight.

Trick shots, "stereotypes" sketches, and wholesome competition. It’s safe, high-energy, and usually encourages kids to actually go outside and try to throw a basketball into a trash can from the roof.

Beautifully animated videos about deep topics: space, medicine, philosophy, and existence. It’s high-level stuff, but presented in a way that middle schoolers find fascinating.

The biggest mistake parents make is sticking with YouTube Kids for too long. By the time a kid is 9 or 10, the "preschool" vibe of YouTube Kids drives them toward the "adult" YouTube app on their friend's phone or a browser.

Best for ages 2-7. It’s a walled garden. You can set it to "Approved Content Only" so they can only watch channels you’ve hand-picked (like PBS Kids or Storyline Online).

This is the "middle ground" for ages 8-13. You can choose from three content levels:

The best part? It disables comments and most "buying" features. It’s the best way to let them explore Minecraft tutorials or coding websites walkthroughs without seeing the toxic comment sections.

Learn how to set up a Supervised Account step-by-step

YouTube isn't just about "inappropriate" content (violence/sex); it’s about behavioral manipulation.

Check out our guide on the dangers of the YouTube Shorts algorithm

Instead of saying "That show is stupid," try being curious about the mechanics of the video.

YouTube is the most powerful educational tool ever created, and also the world’s most efficient "time-waster."

The goal isn't to ban it—that’s a losing battle that just leads to kids watching it in secret at a friend's house. The goal is to move them from passive "zombie" scrolling to intentional viewing.

Encourage them to use YouTube to learn a skill—how to draw, how to build a Redstone circuit in Minecraft, or how to do a kickflip. When YouTube is a tool, it’s incredible. When it’s a pacifier, it’s a problem.

Ask our chatbot for a list of educational YouTube channels based on your kid's interests