Vietnamese parents shocked over adult content in YouTube videos for children

• Vietnamese couples should be able to decide how many children to bear: Health Ministry

A YouTube channel has recently caused uproar among Vietnamese parents for publishing a series of videos aimed at young children that feature what many would regard as inappropriate scenes.

The channel, named Spiderman Frozen Marvel Superhero Real Life, has used popular characters like Queen Elsa from Disney’s animated film Frozen, Spiderman, Superman and the Hulk to create videos containing sexual content and violent scenes. The videos often appear on playlists with other children’s stories.

Videos for children with adult content.

Thanh Lan from Ba Dinh District in Hanoi said that she often opens YouTube for her 4-year-old daughter to watch. However, that's changed since she unexpectedly saw a scene in which Queen Elsa, cast by a girl wearing sexy clothes, was hugging Spiderman.

“I quickly switched to the next video but the content was very similar. I had to turn off YouTube even though my daughter started crying her eyes out,” Lan told VnExpress.

Another parent from Ha Noi said that he had encountered scenes of cartoon characters engaging in crude behavior. “Why are these videos made for children when even adults blush when they see them.”

To date, the Spiderman Frozen Marvel channel, under control of a YouTube partner in Vietnam, has produced around 70 videos with some even fetching more than 30 million views.

A playlist automatically created by YouTube showing inappropriate videos for children.

In response to objections from Vietnamese parents, the channel has blocked all Vietnamese YouTube subscribers. The move prevents the videos from being ‘locked ‘ by YouTube, according to YouTube content creator Hoang Xuan Tu.

Tu said that these videos can help producers earn thousands of dollars thanks to add-on advertisements. However, competition among channels is getting fiercer, forcing many to add inappropriate content to attract viewers

He added that the foremost responsibilities belong to parents who should pay close attention to what their children are watching on the internet.

“Maybe the video you open for your kid is completely normal, but the next automatically played is bad. Never let your children play with computers or smart phones on their own,” Tu said.

A source from the Information Ministry said that Minister Truong Minh Tuan has asked for an investigation into the case.

Under a new circular published last December, cross-border information-sharing websites like YouTube and Facebook will have to delete false information published on their sites if asked to do so by the ministry.

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