My 12 year old wants to go on YouTube…
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This is a tricky one.
In my mind the only real problem is that people who post comments on youtube are total idiots (like you said). As long as she’s aware of this, it should be ok. Create an anonymous account on gmail or whatever and post the video and see what happens. She knows what youtube is like, and she can see for herself the kinds of posts that people make already.
If she gets any creepy emails on her anonymous gmail account you can certainly pass these onto youtube/google…I think they’re trying to crack down on the cyber predator thing.
So yeah, anonymous account, discuss what might happen with her, keep an eye on things, see how it goes! Let us know when it’s posted and we’ll get the comments off to a positive start.
I gotta go with an emphatic no. I’m a little more than twice your daughter’s age, and I don’t even want to read the terrible comments I get, maturing adult that I am. I think it could seem like you’re being overprotective, but if she’s anywhere close to an sensitive as I am, she’ll thank you later or soon take herself out of the game. I grew up at the time the Internet was being born, and I don’t think it hurt me the way it can hurt kids now. I also believe being online can be a very positive thing. Where I would draw the line - as a nonparent and speaking more from a place of being harassed and verbally assaulted online - is where you base too much on that kind of culture of aesthetic and feedback from strangers. Life is hard enough, let alone when you’re a teenager. I think tech skills are great, but I still find more value in spending real, physical time with people than being interactive online. I’d argue that’s a balance to teach.
Two cents from an old lady-sounding young person who’s seen too much badness go down not to be worried
When I talked to her about YouTube I explained there are “some” very rude and downright mean on Youtube.
The next video called “No YouTube. But…” lets you know the compromise.