The Guardian

Parents can police screen time – but good luck telling your children that | Zoe Williams

Stories about its effects spook parents with children glued to YouTube. But do we even understand what we’re fighting?
‘There are people unboxing things, talking about nothing.’ YouTube stars Alfie Deyes and Zoe Sugg. Photograph: Tussauds/Rex/Shutterstock

This morning, I was in bed, listening to the Today programme’s headlines, including a new Ofcom study that finds children are watching less TV, and more, although since YouTube is a content delivery platform, a better headline would be, “children watch less telly, in preference for more telly”. My 11-year-old was downstairs, also in bed, watching YouTube. I knew this not because I have any kind of parental surveillance system, but because if he wasn’t, that would mean the internet had broken, and I’d have heard about it.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian4 min read
Lawn And Order: The Evergreen Appeal Of Grass-cutting In Video Games
Jessica used to come for tea on Tuesdays, and all she wanted to do was cut grass. Every week, we’d click The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s miniature disc into my GameCube and she’d ready her sword. Because she was a couple of years younger than m
The Guardian4 min read
The Royals May Easily Dismiss Harry And Meghan, But These Charges Of Racism Will Linger For Ever | Zoe Williams
Omid Scobie is the reporter favoured by Harry and Meghan. In ordinary circumstances, this would be a footnote, but the couple’s relationship with the rest of the press is so frosty that Scobie’s access looks as unfettered as if he were their medieval
The Guardian6 min read
Fallen Kingdom: Why Has Disney Had Such A Terrible Year?
For its 100th anniversary this year, Disney received a bucket of ice-cold water to the face. It may sound momentary, but somehow it’s the gift that has been giving all year, from the box office nosedive of Marvel’s Ant-Man sequel, to lower-than-expec

Related Books & Audiobooks