Parents are being warned about disturbing videos featuring popular children's characters such as Peppa Pig and Mickey Mouse that are circulating on YouTube. The videos, which include scenes of violence and death, have been reported to cause fear, crying, and even self-harm in children.
The issue was highlighted last year in an article by writer and artist James Bridle, who investigated the phenomenon after reading about it in the New York Times. Bridle found that many of the videos are algorithm-generated, nonsensical content designed solely to attract views and generate income, often involving real children acting out bizarre scenarios.
Despite public outcry and questions raised in the European Parliament, YouTube's response has been mixed. The platform initially proposed restricting advertising on such content but has struggled to police the 400 hours of video uploaded every minute. Human moderation was introduced for the YouTube Kids app in April, but many inappropriate videos remain online.
