In times when digital technology is omnipresent, the cell phone has become a kind of new pacifier and YouTube in the favorite nanny of millions of homes. This phenomenon raises questions about the consequences of babies and infants spend hours consuming channels such as Zenon’s farm, Chuchu TV or Cocomelon.
Although nobody thinks of that age group when talking about YouTube audiences, CFour of the ten channels with the highest number of subscribers globally are designed for children under 5 years: Cocomelon, Vlad and Niki, Kids Diana Show and Like Nastya. The same happens in our country, where the children’s kingdom has comfortably leads local ranks.
While the audiovisual media were not oblivious to the education of previous generations, that exhibition was always limited. In contrast, one of the most popular videos of the Zenon farm exceeds the duration and has been seen more than one billion times. And it is common for these videos to work as “ambient sound” while adults perform other activities.
This new form of entertainment is characterized by its global decentralization: Chuchu TV is based in India; Videogyan also (transmits from the city of Bangalore); Billion Surprise Toys is a channel of Arab Emirates and Animaccord produces from Russia contained as “Masha and the bear.” In all cases, these are productions designed for children under 3 who are seen throughout the globe.
The amazing power of attraction of YouTube in the little ones has aroused the interest of neuroscientists and psychologists. The platform allows children to navigate a digital ecosystem designed specifically for them, while The tactile interface gives them a feeling of control rarely experienced in other areas of their life.
Recommendation algorithms create a perfect circle to capture attention: Children repeatedly see certain types of videos, creators replicate these trends, the algorithm detects popularity and recommends these contents more frequently, increasing their visualization. This cycle has given rise to a children’s digital universe populated by “La Vaca Lola”, characters such as Skibidi Toilet and the perennial charm of surprise eggs or “slime” recipes.
The great unknown is how these new forms of media consumption at an early age affect child development. Never before so many children had access to so much content on demand, which could transform their understanding of narrative and informative environments.
While researchers begin to study these implications, the algorithm continues to feed the child fascination, benefiting content and platform creators, before the attentive look – or distracted – of parents and educators.