Children can be Accidentally Exposed to Adult Content on YouTube

Watching videos on YouTube has become a favorite activity of both parents and their kids. Parents often allow children to watch cartoons on the popular video-sharing network, blindly believing that the site prevents young ones being exposed to adult content.

However, according to a new study, allowing children to watch videos on YouTube is not safe. Children watching their favorite episodes of television programs like "Dora the Explorer" can be exposed to inappropriate adult content, including nudity and violence, accidentally at any time.

The findings from Kaspersky Lab based in the U.K. come as part of the Safer Internet Day (SID) that is celebrated in February every year to spread awareness about the safety of online technology among the young generation, across the world.

Exposing the risks associated with the content available on YouTube, researchers found children who watch videos on the site are only three clicks away from music videos glorifying violence, nudity, guns and car crashes.

The risks become higher when tech-savvy children of the modern world explore the video-sharing website without parental supervision, researchers say.

"It's worrying to see just how simple it is for children to access videos of an adult nature on YouTube," David Emm, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, said in a news release. "With younger generations becoming more IT literate and parents increasingly turning to mobile devices, online games and apps as a means of entertaining their kids, these results highlight the importance of taking steps to protect them online. 

"Having parental controls in place is vital and can be highly effective in combatting objectionable material. YouTube's Safety Mode feature aims to help parents screen out unsuitable content, but it can't provide 100% protection," he said.

The findings bring concern, as previous studies have shown that many children and teens involve in risky online activities like accessing online violence and sexual topics without parents' knowledge. According to reports, about four out of five children regularly access porn online and more than a quarter of young patients are undergoing treatments for their addiction to online pornography.

In May 2012, a 12-year-old boy from the U.K. underwent court proceedings for raping and sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl. He reported the pornographic images he watched as inspiring him to rape the girl several times.