WHETHER you believe it or not, kiddie videos being played via YouTube such as but not limited to CocoMelon, Super Simple Songs, and others, may be regarded as "hyperstimulating" similar to how drugs and stimulants affect humans particularly the younger audiences.
Citing a Facebook post by user jerricasannes, these videos affect the brain as it "gets a hint of dopamine from screen time" which consequently leads children watching these YouTube content to experience symptoms of addiction and withdrawal and a general discomfort in the general speed of life. I couldn't agree more with this contention.
I remember the time when we started the behavioral therapy sessions of our son, Lance, a few years back. We asked the therapist if watching YouTube videos is bad for children regardless if they have special needs or not. Her answer is, infants and younger children until the aged of three to four ideally must not be exposed to any screen time, and as they get older starting the age of five, they can be introduced to such videos but they have to be regulated to 30 minutes to one hour only.
As scary as this may sound, but developmental experts note that excessive exposure to YouTube and other online content may cause developmental delays and "thinning of the brain's cortex" which is responsible for critical thinking and reasoning. According to healthmatters.nyp.org, "for young children, especially those under the age of 3, development is happening rapidly. Young children learn by exploring their environment and watching the adults in their lives and then imitating them. Excessive screen time may inhibit a child’s ability to observe and experience the typical everyday activities they need to engage with in order to learn about the world, leading to a kind of “tunnel vision,” which can be detrimental to overall development."
Dr. Jennifer Cross, New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital behavioral and developmental pediatric expert adds that “if young children spend most of their time engaging with an iPad, smartphone, or the television, all of which are highly entertaining, it can be hard to get them engaged in non-electronic activities, such as playing with toys to foster imagination and creativity, exploring outdoors, and playing with other children to develop appropriate social skills. Interacting almost exclusively with screens would be like working out only your arm muscles and nothing else. You would have really strong arm muscles, but at the expense of overall fitness.”
As a parent, I know that letting our kids watch videos is inevitable sometimes especially if we need to work undisturbed by our kids. I know many are guilty of this, myself included. Sometimes, it happens because we don't really have a choice but to give in to our kids craving for watching videos. But if we do have a choice, we can always opt not to let them get addicted to these content. If we need to keep our kids busy whenever we have a chore to finish, it is best that we let them watch educational and interactive shows like Sesame Street, Hi 5, and other activities that promote interaction, communication, and critical thinking.