Should Parents be Allowing Kids to make Minecraft Videos for YouTube?
Minecraft is a huge phenomenon when it comes to kids and adults alike across the world. The building and mining game can be played on different consoles, has many different servers and has taken over the majority of popular gaming videos these days. For some parents, however, those videos may cause a bit of a stir.
I'm not a parent myself but I think that provided parents have conversations about safety and learn about what they're kids are doing then it should be okay. Kids are young but they're not all stupid, allowing them to create a video of something they love without needing to share their real name or face is actually a good thing.
Most YouTubers who play Minecraft simply speak whilst they're playing the game. The beauty is that they aren't just playing. The kids who do this are going to have find something original to share, some sort of story or something to regularly build or talk about. There's a YouTuber with a book-themed show being played on Minecraft, there are people doing quizzes and so on and so forth. Its stuff they could even bring their parents in on sometimes. Of course it's probably wise to disable the comments but it's something that should be a relatively safe way for kids to explore their creativity and learn about sharing it on social media. Minecraft has enough benefits that some schools are allowing kids to play it as a learning tool and autistic kids actually find it more helpful for understanding things. It's not like your kids are asking to film themselves doing stupid stunts or playing violent video games with no educational value.
Some parents will still be worried though. Who's going to be watching these videos? What if my child accidentally reveals private info and so on? Well first things first, the filming, editing and uploading might be simple but you're going to have to help them at least a little bit. This means that you can remind them not to say things, edit out anything that's risky and make sure that if it is being shared off of YouTube, you have some idea of where it’s being shared. You can also be there as they play but they'll eventually learn what is okay, what isn't and will enjoy being able to share something they love, not just with the internet but with you as well. You might not be able to control who exactly watches the videos but its likely just going to be Minecraft fans. There is also a chance that your kids may get upset because of view or like counts but it's likely that if they're creative, they'll wind up doing something like this one day anyway. Why not give them a chance to learn what this is like with a game that has its educational values anyway? Still, for some parents recording something like that or even having free reign to play games like that online wouldn't be a good idea because a child under 13 is just too young, even watching people play can be awkward. I spoke to the mother (who wished to remain unnamed) of 3 young boys aged between 6-10 years old who like to play Minecraft and she told me what she thought about the idea.
Personally I still think there is nothing wrong with letting your kids’ film themselves playing Minecraft as long as you and they are smart about it. Minecraft is aimed at kids after all. However, for some parents it does make sense to encourage their kids to stay away from that sort of thing so they can just be kids. Of course, they'll sneak off behind your back and find other ways to do what they want but at least you know you're trying your best for them and that is all you can do. I think you have to respect parents who decide to let their kids video these online games and the parents that don't. Every person has a different reason and the fact is, I don't see a problem with it as I was basically given free reign as a kid. I was sensible with it but others aren't going to be so I can see why some parents might want to limit their kids at least a little.
Either way you should let your kids explore their creativity when they're young. If that's done by letting them make carefully monitored videos and post them online? Great, just hope that they don't catch the social media bug too young because once they're a teenager it might be all they care about.
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Most YouTubers who play Minecraft simply speak whilst they're playing the game. The beauty is that they aren't just playing. The kids who do this are going to have find something original to share, some sort of story or something to regularly build or talk about. There's a YouTuber with a book-themed show being played on Minecraft, there are people doing quizzes and so on and so forth. Its stuff they could even bring their parents in on sometimes. Of course it's probably wise to disable the comments but it's something that should be a relatively safe way for kids to explore their creativity and learn about sharing it on social media. Minecraft has enough benefits that some schools are allowing kids to play it as a learning tool and autistic kids actually find it more helpful for understanding things. It's not like your kids are asking to film themselves doing stupid stunts or playing violent video games with no educational value.
Some parents will still be worried though. Who's going to be watching these videos? What if my child accidentally reveals private info and so on? Well first things first, the filming, editing and uploading might be simple but you're going to have to help them at least a little bit. This means that you can remind them not to say things, edit out anything that's risky and make sure that if it is being shared off of YouTube, you have some idea of where it’s being shared. You can also be there as they play but they'll eventually learn what is okay, what isn't and will enjoy being able to share something they love, not just with the internet but with you as well. You might not be able to control who exactly watches the videos but its likely just going to be Minecraft fans. There is also a chance that your kids may get upset because of view or like counts but it's likely that if they're creative, they'll wind up doing something like this one day anyway. Why not give them a chance to learn what this is like with a game that has its educational values anyway? Still, for some parents recording something like that or even having free reign to play games like that online wouldn't be a good idea because a child under 13 is just too young, even watching people play can be awkward. I spoke to the mother (who wished to remain unnamed) of 3 young boys aged between 6-10 years old who like to play Minecraft and she told me what she thought about the idea.
I've seen those videos and the language can be crude. I want to limit their interaction to that kind of stuff. I know it's not completely unavoidable, but I'm also not going to let them have free reign. Not at the age they are at.
Personally I still think there is nothing wrong with letting your kids’ film themselves playing Minecraft as long as you and they are smart about it. Minecraft is aimed at kids after all. However, for some parents it does make sense to encourage their kids to stay away from that sort of thing so they can just be kids. Of course, they'll sneak off behind your back and find other ways to do what they want but at least you know you're trying your best for them and that is all you can do. I think you have to respect parents who decide to let their kids video these online games and the parents that don't. Every person has a different reason and the fact is, I don't see a problem with it as I was basically given free reign as a kid. I was sensible with it but others aren't going to be so I can see why some parents might want to limit their kids at least a little.
Either way you should let your kids explore their creativity when they're young. If that's done by letting them make carefully monitored videos and post them online? Great, just hope that they don't catch the social media bug too young because once they're a teenager it might be all they care about.
Rosina is a Songbird rookie with a degree in Creative Writing. She's trying to focus on her novel on the side but is hoping that Content Writing will turn out to be a good career choice in the mean time! Follow her @Songbird_Rosina
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Should Parents be Allowing Kids to make Minecraft Videos for YouTube?
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, March 31, 2016
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Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Rating:
Unknown
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