The impact of abusive language on OTT (Over-The-Top) platforms on very young kids

Kaviraj Singh Articles, Education

1. **Emotional and Psychological Impact:** Exposure to abusive language at a young age can lead to emotional distress and psychological harm. Children may become desensitized to such language or start imitating it, which can affect their social interactions and behavior.

2. **Normalizing Inappropriate Behavior:** Constant exposure to abusive language may normalize inappropriate behavior and language, making it difficult for children to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable communication. This can lead to problems in their relationships and interactions with peers and adults.

3. **Decreased Emotional Well-being:** Abusive language can create feelings of fear, insecurity, and discomfort in children, affecting their emotional well-being. This can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues in the long term.

4. **Impact on Language Development:** Young children are in the critical stage of language development. Exposure to abusive language can hinder their language development by influencing them to use offensive or derogatory words instead of appropriate language.

5. **Negative Influence on Values and Morality:** Children often look up to characters they see on screen. When characters in OTT content use abusive language, it can send the message that such behavior is acceptable or even admirable. This can undermine the development of positive values and moral principles.

6. **Parental Concerns:** Parents may become concerned about the content their children are exposed to on OTT platforms. This can lead to increased monitoring and restriction of access to such platforms, potentially limiting educational and entertainment opportunities.

To address these concerns, it’s important for parents to actively engage in monitoring their children’s screen time and content consumption. They can also make use of parental control features provided by OTT platforms to restrict access to age-inappropriate content. Additionally, content creators and OTT platforms should be mindful of the impact of their content on young audiences and consider rating systems and content warnings to help parents make informed decisions about what their children watch. Finally, awareness campaigns about responsible content consumption and the potential harm of abusive language can also be beneficial.