Christian democrats want parental guidance warnings on YouTube videos

The CDA wants YouTube videos to also feature parental guidance warnings so that parents can instantly see whether videos are suitable for their children, and thereby better protect them against images of violence, sex or harsh language. The party wants the PG warnings to always be visible on both online and television content, AD reports.

If the PG warning is always on screen, parents can check at any time whether a video is suitable for their child, CDA parliamentarian Harry van der Molen said to the newspaper. He will submit this proposal to Dutch parliament on Monday, during the debate on the Media budget.

"My 7-year-old son regularly watches videos on YouTube. As a parent it is hard for me to determine whether they are suitable. The PG warning is a great tool. Then you can quickly look over his shoulder at what he is watching when screams come from his phone or iPad", Van der Molen said. He pointed out that Facebook employs 30 thousand people to rate videos. "Then YouTube can do that too."

There is already a European directive that stipulates that EU member states must ensure that children are protected against harmful videos and images. In 2015 Dutch parliament voted that rules that apply to television programs must also apply to online video services. But in practice, little has been done about it, Van der Molen said.

According to Google, owner of YouTube, it is practically impossible to implement PG warnings on the video streaming service, Rachid Finge of Google Nederland said to the newspaper. Google is working on other measures to make sure children use the service responsibly. For example, a number of countries already use YouTube Kids, where parents can determine which channels their children can watch.