"Lots of programmes for children on YouTube are empty and do nothing to encourage the imaginative life of children, the Teletubbies creator has cautioned parents. Anne Wood, the veteran children's producer who devised the popular TV show for preschool children, said children's television had long been undervalued and she feared we're losing a tremendous amount and nobody can see it because it's not considered important."
"She felt that platforms such as YouTube had abdicated the responsibility of art produced by trained professionals. It's exciting but it's not necessarily being used responsibly in the interests of young audiences, she said. Wood and other figures in children's TV shared their concerns that the algorithmic and endless scroll functionalities on YouTube did not prioritise high-quality content for children in the same way that public service broadcasters could, after the children's laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, told MPs that much programming on YouTube served as sedation."
"Wood said the decline that started when the Communications Act ceased to require commercial public service broadcasters to invest in children's TV in 2003 had accelerated with the advent of algorithm-driven online platforms. That Teletubbies made a huge amount of money for the BBC had been forgotten, she added. Although Teletubbies was accused of dumbing down when it first aired in 1997, academic research subsequently suggested that the emphasis on rhyme, repetition and simplicity improved children's language capabilities."
Many children's YouTube programmes provide little imaginative stimulation and fail to support developmental needs. Platforms have relinquished responsibility for professionally produced children's art, and algorithmic endless-scroll features do not prioritise high-quality content for young audiences. Regulatory shifts in 2003 reduced commercial broadcasters' obligations to invest in children's television, accelerating decline with the rise of online platforms. Research on preschool programming such as Teletubbies indicates that rhyme, repetition, and simplicity can improve children's language capabilities. Television that reflects children's experiences and is produced responsibly can support early development and imaginative life.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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