Renowned African Science Communication expert, Diran Onifade, has said Africa would be the bigger beneficiary of the new features introduced by the American online video sharing platform, YouTube to help parents manage their teenagers’ activities on the platform.
The updated guidelines, released ahead of the new school year, aim to facilitate open discussions between parents and their teens as they begin to create and share content on YouTube.
The recent guidelines will allow parents to keep a track of their teens YouTube accounts by allowing them to link their accounts with their teens.
This development, which follows a report from Nielsen, which revealed that YouTube surpassed Disney in media distribution volume in July will help parents to keep track of the contents that their teens are consuming everyday, just as the company aims to enhance the safety and security of teenage YouTube users.
Onifade, Africasti’s Editor-in-Chief said, “this is a great development, as it would limit exposure of African teens to explicit or culturally insensitive material, encourage physical activity, storytelling, and community engagement.”
“By monitoring watch history, African parents can ensure that their teenage kids are watching content aligned with African values, and limit exposure to channels that may contradict African values. It can also help in the cultivation of a family-friendly environment that encourage open discussions about African culture and values.”
He said that the features will also help in supporting African creators to promote channels that showcase African stories, traditions, and perspectives.
“YouTube’s new supervision option helps you have open conversations with your teens as they begin to create and share on YouTube for the first time,” the directive stated.
Parents now have the ability to set filters to restrict younger teens to age-appropriate content, while younger children can use the newly enhanced “YouTube Kids” app for a safer, more simplified browsing experience.
By
Esther Samson
