Steve Chen, YouTube co-founder, draws an alarm about the impact of short videos on children.
YouTube co-founder does not allow his children to watch photo shorts: Shutterstock
Steve Chen, one of the founders of the YouTube platform, warns that short videos on social networks negatively affect the ability to concentrate children. Although one of the Internet pioneers, Chen does not let their own children follow only short content.
In a recently held speech at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Steve Chen spoke about his decision to keep his children over the excessive consumption of short videos. He said this type of content “leads to decreased concentration capacity. ”
“I do not want my children to be exposed exclusively to this type of contentt. (…) I know parents who oblige their children to look at longer content, without screaming colors. (…) If they are not immediately exposed to short content, they will still be satisfied with the other type of content“, Explained Chen.
The father of two children, the former CTO of YouTube said that, once accustomed to fast and stimulating videos, children lose interest in longer and deeper content. “I think, however“He added.
Critics to Tiktok and his replicas
Steve Chen criticized the Tiktok model and the effect he had on the media market. According to him, the Ascension of Tiktok forced all the big platforms, including YouTube, to adopt the same format, with an emphasis on short and easy to consume.
“I think tiktok is entertainment, but that’s all it is. It is only for that moment. But this short content is equivalent to a shorter attention capacity“Said Chen.
He stressed that the success of Tiktok has triggered a competition between platforms to capture the attention of users through shorter clips, but warns of a deeper problem: the lack of balance between monetization and the quality of information.
“In a way, all companies were forced into a competition, they had to come up with alternatives to Tiktok for short content. (…) I think there is a fragile balance between what will capture the attention of users and what can be monetized versus what is really useful information. It is difficult to say“He explained.
Increasingly frequent warnings from technology leaders
Chen’s statements, also published on YouTube, reflect an increasing concern among technology leaders. Among those who rule against the influence of social networks on the development of children are Sam Altman, the Openai CEO, and Elon Musk.
In a recent podcast, Sam Altman criticized “dopamine shock“Caused by short videos on social networks, stating that”It probably affects the development of the brain of children in a very deep way. ”
In turn, Elon Musk acknowledged last year that he did not impose restrictions on his children in use of social networks but admitted that “It may have been a mistake”.
“I think I would probably limit a little more access to social networks than I did in the past and I would be more attentive to what I follow, because, at this moment, I think they are scheduled by certain social networks, with which you may or do not agree.“Said Musk, quoted by Fortune.
