Toxic content spreading on YouTube is scarier than the 'Momo Challenge'

End of February,Telegraphsaid "Momo Challenge" (Momo Challenge) was found inserted inside some unofficial videos, with content taken from the animation channelPeppa Pigand gamesFortnite.

This horror trend is said to have originated in England, in which a woman with the head of a human, the body of a chicken, black hair, and bulging eyes will instruct on how to self-harm.

The scary images of Momo make many people worried, especially when they are "disguised" inside children's clips and are said to appear on YouTube Kids - a YouTube platform customized specifically for children. NewspaperIndependentSome schools in the UK have warned about the dangerous trend and advised parents not to let their children watch YouTube alone.

However, the UK Internet Safety Centre (SIC) believes that the "Momo Challenge" may be fake news, released to cause panic. According toGuardian, it seems that some organizations as well as parents have exaggerated the problem, even though the horror images of Momo can cause suffering and obsession for children who have seen them.

Experts say that Momo could be a hoax, a shocking story created by bad guys, in which scary images are used to exploit children's concerns about online safety. Therefore, instead of panicking, parents should worry more about YouTube and YouTube Kids, because this is the environment that their children should be limited in contact with.

Such harmful content is said to be "just the tip of the iceberg". According to expert James Bridle, on the YouTube Kids application, videos like "Momo Challenge" inserted into Peppa Pig, Mickey Mouse being brutally tortured with violent scenes or disguised pornographic clips attached to Disney princesses are very easy to find.

In addition, "junk" videos still appear regularly on YouTube and YouTube Kids, such as cheap and meaningless songs, or nonsense stories with images of Elsa, Spider-Man, Peppa Pig to attract attention... They are designed entirely to get views and make money from them, instead of being entertaining or educational.

According toTheVergeYouTube has been working to remove millions of products with harmful content that violates user policies for many years. However, "they themselves are still struggling with recognition algorithms, which are not perfect".The VergeThe most recent scandal involving a group of pedophiles who regularly posted negative, sexually explicit comments under clips of children for a long time has shown that. Only when discovered and criticized, this video sharing network blocked the comment feature on channels with minor content.

YouTube’s problem is that it relies too heavily on its flagging system to find and filter inappropriate content. That means that, instead of detecting bad content before it’s published, clips have to be viewed by someone and reported using a reporting tool. Some experts say moderating videos before they go live on the platform is the only way to stay safe from malicious trolls, but YouTube doesn’t do this or does it sparingly.

Additionally, the lack of curation of video recommendations can also lead children to inappropriate content. "My 5-year-old son developed a particular interest in trains. I played him a cartoon about how they work. After a few minutes of walking away and coming back, I found him innocently watching a train crash," said Keza MacDonald, editorGuardian, recount.

Experts say that most of the content on YouTube and YouTube Kids is healthy. But the platform needs to have better filters to prevent potential risks, especially for children. Meanwhile, the easiest solution for parents with young children is probably to remove YouTube from everything, from phones, TVs, game consoles, iPads... and limit children's exposure to technology. In addition, closely monitor your children when participating in social networks and using the Internet, or use safer services, such as Netflix or children's TV channels.