Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – Doctors and parents are concerned about the impact videoswith harmful content are having on children.

H, a Hanoian, recently noticed a change in the mental health of her 15-year-olddaughter. She became quiet and preferred using her phone to communicatingwith anyone. Her studies were also negatively impacted.

H brought her 15-year-old daughter to the National Children’s Hospital for anexamination, where doctors said her child was depressed as a result ofplaying games and watching YouTube channels with negative content.

H’s daughter is just one of many children who have been affected by onlinecontent, with some children risking their lives after watching harmful videos.

Last October, a nine-year-old boy in Phu Tho province swallowed a nail clipperafter watching a video on YouTube. Luckily, he received medical help in goodtime and escaped any long-term harm.

According to Tran Thanh Nam, a psychological expert from the Hanoi NationalUniversity, children do not know always know right from wrong and canbe easily swayed by others.

“Many things are repeated over and over, making them think they are correct andshould be imitated. It is easy for them to become addicted and make them moveaway from real life,” he told Tin Tuc (News)newspaper.

Adults can have similar problems distinguishing right from wrong when floodedwith information which spreads doubt and a lack of trust, Nam said.

Ngo Anh Vinh, deputy head of the Adolescent Health Department at the samehospital, said his department has treated a number of children forexcessive use of social media, such as watching videos that are notage-appropriate and spending too long online.

“When admitted to the hospital, some children showed signs of agitation,anxiety disorders, depression. Due to late detection and the family beingunable to control the child's internet use in the first place, there aremany difficulties in the treatment,” he said.

There are a lot of harmful videos online featuring violence or sex that canaffect the development of a child and can lead to psychological disorders, hesaid.

If a child is exposed to such content for a long time, it can affect theirsocial interactions, Vinh added.

It also has an impact on learning because once children are addicted towatching harmful videos, they will feel bored at school, he said.

Mental illnesses such as depression, agitation and behavioural disturbancesmight occur, he said, adding that the consequences would be very regrettablewithout timely intervention.

According to experts, the producers of the videos are only focused onincreasing views and think little of the consequences of the methods they useto attract viewers.

To be eligible to apply to the YouTube Partner Programme and monetisevideos, a channel must have 1,000 subscribers and haveearned 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months. 

YouTuber Tho Nguyen recently uploaded a clip on her TikTokpage in which she asked a Kuman Thong doll to give luck to students in theirstudy. She was later fined for posting superstitious content.

Other YouTubers have also been criticised for misguiding children.

Late last year, Hưng Vlog has uploaded on his channel a clip depicting himstealing money from the piggy bank of his brother and sister. 

Despite receiving sanctions from local authorities, Hưng Vlog continues toproduce videos with questionable content.

The Hưng Vlog channel with 3 million followers can earn at least 350 millionVND (15,150 USD) per month, according to SocialBlade, an American website thattracks social media statistics and analytics.

A report from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) shows thatthere are currently 15,000 Vietnamese YouTube channels with advertising revenueand 350 channels with millions of followers.

The country has more than 60 million internet users and is one of the 10countries with the highest number of Facebook and YouTube users in the world.

Besides the positive aspects of social networks, there are also many risks ofexposure to harmful and violent content and children are the mostvulnerable.

According to the Department of Child Affairs under the Ministry of Labour,Invalids and Social Affairs, the national hotline for child protection at 111received hundreds of calls from parents expressing concerns about theirchildren’s use of the internet while at home during the social distancingperiod.

Psychologist Tran Thanh Nam said Vietnam needs a more synchronous strategy tohandle toxic content.

In addition to the improvement of the legal framework and imposing strictpunishment for those who spread harmful content, it is necessary forauthorities and agencies to teach children how to use the internet safely,he said.

According to Hoang Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the Authority of InformationSecurity under the MoIC, some cross-border platforms such as YouTube, Facebookand TikTok have implemented solutions to detect and handle harmful informationfor children and work with Vietnamese authorities when asked to remove negativeinformation.

To tackle content that is inappropriate for children or content depicting abuseof children, the authority is establishing a Child Protection Network inthe digital environment with the core the Vietnam Cyber EmergencyResponse Center - VNCERT, an agency under Tien's leadership.

The network involves relevant agencies including the Ministry of Informationand Communications, Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), and the Ministryof Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Public Security andtelecommunications and internet service providers (ISPs).

One of the main tasks is to receive and categorise complaints aboutinappropriate online content for children.

The complaints can be received via the website of the network, by phone or viaemail, Tien said.

The MoIC will collaborate with the MoET to introduce a set of standards foridentifying harmful content in the teaching of informatics to each age group.

Director of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department ofChild Affairs Đặng Hoa Nam said the most effective way to deal withtoxic online content is to report it./.