"YouTube cofounder Steve Chen is one of the latest tech trailblazers to warn against social media's impact on kids. Chen warned in a talk short-form video "equates to shorter attention spans" and said he wouldn't want his own kids to exclusively consume this type of content. Companies that distribute short-form video (which includes the company he cofounded, YouTube) should add safeguards for younger users, he added."
"A YouTube cofounder who helped pave the way for our modern, content-obsessed world is the latest tech whiz to come out against short-form videos because of their effects on kids. Steve Chen, who served as YouTube's former chief technology officer before it was acquired by Google in 2006, railed against the TikTok-ification of online life in a talk earlier this year at Stanford Graduate School of Business."
"Chen, who has two children with wife, Jamie Chen, said he wouldn't want his kids only consuming short-form content, and then not be able to watch something longer than 15 minutes. He said he knows of other parents who force their kids to watch longer videos without the eye-catching colors and gimmicks that hook especially younger users. This strategy works well, he claims."
Short-form video content tends to produce briefer attention spans and functions primarily as momentary entertainment. Exclusive exposure to bite-sized clips can reduce the ability to focus on longer videos and sustained tasks. Parents can limit early exposure and encourage longer-form viewing without flashy colors or gimmicks to support broader attention skills. Platforms that added short-form feeds in response to TikTok must balance monetization and engagement with content that delivers practical value and safeguards for younger users. Lack of protections risks fostering addictive consumption patterns among children and other vulnerable users.
Read at Fortune
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