Resisting hyperreality? Talking to young children about YouTube and YouTube Kids

This article reports on a study investigating how 13 young children in English-speaking countries (England, Scotland, Australia and the USA) watch and engage with digital content on YouTube and YouTube Kids. Given the increasing amount of time children spend viewing these platforms, and related concerns around the commercial algorithms that direct their viewing choices, the research aims were to understand how young children make choices about what to watch, and to explore the extent of their comprehension of the constructed, ‘unreal’ nature that characterises a large proportion of these videos, particularly those presented by children (micro-celebrities). Using child-centred methodologies, the research was carried out by parent-researchers, and the findings were analysed and interpreted using elements of Baudrillard's theory of hyperreality. The study found that the children selected videos for a variety of reasons, including those related to their ‘real-life’ interests, and were largely able to discern between the real and the hyperreal in videos by drawing on existing frames of reference and applying their developing knowledge and understanding of the world. The article provides insights into young children’s experiences, understandings and preferences around using YouTube and YouTube Kids, and extends Baudrillard’s perspectives on the hyperreal from postmodernism into a post-digital conceptual realm.