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Comment by pavel_lishin | Hacker News Reader

This solves the problem for your family, but doesn't solve it at large. There will still be parents who let their kids watch this. There will still be impressionable youths watching nazi propaganda. There will still be gullible people watching "The earth is flat" videos.

Yes, this is a problem that you can solve for yourself by moving to a cabin in the woods and hunting and skinning deer, but that's just a bandaid.

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But, even without Youtube, you still need to supervise their access to the internet. But, AI can help in this regard too. Just install some parental control plugin that only allows educational content to come onto the device. Set it up with a timer, so their not on the device all day.

> But, AI can help in this regard too. Just install some parental control plugin that only allows educational content to come onto the device.

That's what Youtube Kids purports to be. You're just suggesting sending in more trains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5JiPj9c98Y

Isn’t turning to AI what enables this to happen in the first place? My understanding is that is exactly what youtube kids IS. Unless you mean more accurate technology, in which case you should say that.

People keep bringing up nazi propaganda as if it's a serious threat, but is it? The most successful radicalization stories I've heard are about people being recruited into ISIS. The political echochambers that have the most reach are the censors at Google and the campuses they graduated from, stemming from the cult-like application of progressivism. The most pressing issue of science illiteracy is climate change denial, pushed by capitalist interests.

People are worried about the one ideology we are most inoculated against, and for which tens of thousands can be whipped into a frenzy to protest against, _even if no actual nazi event is taking place_. This is not a real issue. Neither is being upset that you're letting your kids be babysat by bots who make Sims machinima. If the author feels there's a flood of dangerous content out there, why is the article full of milquetoast embeds?

Climate denial videos would have been a much better example for me to use, rather than flat-earth videos.

This may not be Nazi propaganda, but it's certainly far-right propaganda:

https://twitter.com/justinhendrix/status/927335154707828736

Where are all these cult-like progressive echo chambers at Google when you need them?

So, let them watch it? You and the GP are talking about different sets of people: A 2-year-old kid probably has no frame of reference to decide what to watch and what to avoid, so you step in - as the parent - and decide for them.

In all other cases, the solution lies in what the GP mentioned: Personal responsibility.

Sure, it's not nice to have teenagers get radicalized by Nazi propaganda, but I'd argue that this is not a failure of the content they have access to, but rather hints at serious issues in their life outside of Youtube. Same with flat-earthers (btw, serious question: What's the problem with people believing the world is flat exactly? You see them for the fool they are and move on, what's the big deal?): If someone chooses to educate themselves on that sort of conspiracy-theory, let them.

> What's the problem with people believing the world is flat exactly? You see them for the fool they are and move on, what's the big deal?

For Starters:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine_controversies

https://letters2president.org/letters/18983

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexism

https://www.ushmm.org/educators/teaching-about-the-holocaust...

I mean, really? Come on, a stupid population is so obviously a bad idea. Remember the saying: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes? Guess what happens when everyone around you is stupid? Not like 23 chromosomes stupid, but 'Oh, the Earth is Flat' stupid. Good god man.

This is one of my worst nightmares, and seeing it become reality is very depressing. Slowly eroding education system, avalanche of fake, malicious, agenda-driven content from all around you, what's a man to do?

Downvote and move on.

Call it out when you see it happening, damn the consequences.

Generally, follow the responsibilities of citizenship (https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/citizenship-right...):

Support and defend the Constitution.

Stay informed of the issues affecting your community.

Participate in the democratic process.

Respect and obey federal, state, and local laws.

Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others.

Participate in your local community.

Pay income and other taxes honestly, and on time, to federal, state, and local authorities.

Serve on a jury when called upon.

Defend the country if the need should arise.

You're looking at this on a personal level; I'm trying to look at it on a bigger societal level. I don't want to live in a country populated by nazis and flat-earthers, no more than I want to live in a country where you can smoke in restaurants, drink and drive, or advertise cigarettes to children.

I might be able to see people for the fools they are, but I still have to live with them, live next to them, and live with the impacts they're having on society, and so will my children.

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