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The nightmare videos of childrens' YouTube — and what's wrong with the internet today | James Bridle

TED · talk · Watch on YouTube

Internet culture & memesFuturism & technology and societyMedia, journalism & propaganda

What it is

Writer and artist James Bridle shows how strange and disturbing children's videos on YouTube, from surprise eggs to algorithmic mashups, are produced for ad revenue. He argues they reveal problems in a data-driven internet.

Why Hacker News recommends it

Cited to explain how YouTube's algorithms produce appalling content aimed at children, and as a reason to keep kids off the platform.

  • 1 people recommended it
  • 1 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2018, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “This TED talk sums up why I'll never allow my child to go on YouTube.”

    Explains disturbing kids' content on YouTube.

    truebosko, 2018-10 · Recommendation · in “ChuChu TV is responsible for widely-viewed toddler content on YouTube”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: youtube, children, algorithms, ted talk, advertising, internet culture

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