Fair Review Policy
I built TubePotato as a way of helping other parents decide if what their childing are watching on YouTube is suitable for them. There is so much content available and you can quickly go from something you deem to be fine to the total opposite.
As parents we all need time to get things done, such as work, household chores and maybe just a break. No judgement is being made. I often sit with my daughter while she watches her favourite YouTubers. It's fair to say I've watched a fair bit too. So I feel like I'm in a good position to give a fair and balanced review on what I've seen.
My Process for reviewing
I have a big list of Youtubers that my daughter watches and I'm going to work my through them. I have 5 main topics that I want to cover, they are:
1. Suitability
The vast majority of what I've watched has been fine, but sometimes it's not. Things such as swearing / cussing which is either bleeped out or not at all. Or the conversation kinda takes an adult turn in that some innuendo is brought up. Other times it's content about personal appearance and unrealistic beauty standards or sometimes the content gets too scary. All of which can influence a child's behaviour and feelings.
2. Annoyance
Some Youtubers are just really annoying. That's the best way I can put it. A lot of them have this always on, never ending, big energy voice that grinds away at you as a parent. The kids seem mesmerised by it though! Some are incredibly silly.
As a parent I want to watch or listen to (in the background) and not get totally annoyed by whatever my child is watching.
3. Overall Rating
The overall rating is a condensed overview of the creator. I'll list out the parts I think are good and suitable and also anything which I think crosses the line and ventures into the unsuitable.
4. My Daughters Opinion
Given that my daughter is the one who watches these Youtubers the most, it seems silly not to get her thoughts on them all! Young children can be brutally honest in their opinion and I really want her to sit and think about it. I'll be asking her what she likes and dislikes about them.
5. Sponsorships and Merchandise
Some Youtubers will push sponsorship deals or their own merchandise in their videos. I don't really have a strong opinion on this but if a creator does this I'll mention what it is and how often it occurs. Kids often want the merchandise they see, so this could save you a bit of money if you're looking to avoid Youtubers that push this type of thing.
Time spent making a review
Generally speaking my daughter will watch many videos from a creator and these have usually been uploaded over multiple years. This is good as I get to see how the creator has progressed over time. You're not just getting a review from a few of their latest videos.
Videos can last from anywhere between 10 minutes and 1 hour and I'll typically watch between 20 and 30 over the space of about two months. So there's a decent amount of time that goes into producing the reviews.
What TubePotato is not
It's not a place for total negativity against anyone. If I don't think a Youtuber's content is suitable for a child of a certain age range, I'm going to say so. The most important thing to remember is that my opinion is exactly that, an opinion. You might not agree with what I say and It's up to you to exercise your own caution with what your children watch.
I promise to give a well rounded view of both the positives and negatives.