Here’s a captivating introduction for the article: “Are you tired of fighting the never-ending battle to get your little ones to put down their screens and engage in some good old-fashioned playtime? You’re not alone! In today’s digital age, it’s easier than ever for our kids to get hooked on their devices, and YouTube is often the culprit. But what happens when you try to banish the blue light and reclaim some screen-free time? Séamas O’Reilly, a writer and father of one, decided to take on the challenge and shares his hilarious and relatable story of how he and his young son coped with the withdrawal. From tantrums to tantric moments, get ready to laugh and nod your head in solidarity as Séamas recounts his journey of trying to ban his son from watching YouTube – and the surprising lessons they both learned along the way.”
The YouTube Dilemma
The author’s concerns about YouTube content and their son’s addiction
The challenges of finding a balance between relaxation and engagement
My son is holding forth at the kitchen table. He says lasagne is A-tier, but spaghetti and meatballs are B. My wife and I had entered this conversation ambivalently, but things get heated when he declares bangers and mash to be C-tier at best. He’s taken to ranking everything in lists, a practice he’s borrowed from his favourite YouTubers and is now applying offline to every object, animal and phenomenon he can think of.
Right now it’s ‘dinners’, but he’s done dozens this week – ‘animals’, ‘dinosaurs’, ‘modes of transport’, ‘local dogs’ – and attempted to do ‘family members’ before we stopped him. He’s taken to ranking everything, a practice he’s borrowed from his favourite YouTubers We encourage such pen-and-paper tasks, not least because it fills the gaps left by our drastic reduction in his YouTube access. It needed doing.
The Consequences of a Ban: How a lack of YouTube led to a surge in creative activities
The creation of lo-fi content and the rise of A4 paper rankings
The author’s concerns about the impact on their son’s social skills
There’s also the fact that these videos, whatever their subject, are such sophisticated engines for dopamine release that the more he watches, the more he kicks and shouts if they’re turned off. So in 2025, for a while at least, we’ve banned YouTube completely. He’s adapted by creating lo-fi versions of that same content for himself, and us. This is how we’ve found ourselves drowning in billowing scraps of A4 paper, striated with graded tiers and puzzling over the relative merits of, say, lasagne, buses, or our nextdoor neighbour’s labradoodle.
The Rise of Creative Rivalries
The Power of Ranking: How a simple practice becomes a source of conflict
The author’s struggle to understand their son’s grading system
The emergence of creative rivalries and debate over dinner rankings
He can go at it for hours, creating increasingly prolix pyramids of quality, a pastime which should be a boon to us, but which has begun to break our brains as much as any short form video content. ‘How are you putting bangers and mash below mac and cheese?’ my wife says, surprised by her own vehemence.
The Unlikely Ally: Bear Grylls and the Power of Choice
The Bear Necessities: How Bear Grylls’ show became an unlikely ally in the battle against YouTube
The author’s observations on Bear Grylls’ appeal to children and adults alike
The impact of Bear Grylls’ show on the author’s parenting style
My theory is that he appeals to men approaching middle age for precisely the opposite reason: we are disconcertingly aware of our own mortal uselessness, and his promise to help us cheat death – even from threats abstracted to the point of absurdity – provides a welcome palliative.
The Bigger Picture
The Impact on Parenting: How YouTube bans and creative rivalries shape parenting styles
The author’s reflections on the challenges and benefits of creative activities
The implications of these approaches on parenting and family relationships
We watch, helpless, as he assembles a grid and writes ‘dinner rankings’ in the S-tier slot. Maybe we ban pens next, I say to myself. I’m not really in the habit of recommending ‘parenting hacks’, but one I’ve always liked is presenting commands as choices. If, for example, I ask my son if he wants veg with dinner, he’ll offer a comprehensive no. But, if I ask whether he’d prefer peas or carrots, he’ll pick one.
Conclusion
In “We tried banning our young son from watching YouTube…”, Séamas O’Reilly shares his personal experience of attempting to restrict his young son’s access to YouTube, highlighting the challenges and unintended consequences that arose from this decision. O’Reilly’s article underscores the difficulties of regulating children’s screen time in today’s digital age, where online content is increasingly ubiquitous and influential. He argues that banning YouTube altogether is not a viable solution, as it would deprive children of a valuable learning and creative tool, while also neglecting the importance of parental guidance and oversight.
The significance of this topic lies in its relevance to the ongoing debates surrounding childhood development, education, and technology. As O’Reilly notes, the internet is here to stay, and it is crucial that parents, educators, and policymakers work together to develop effective strategies for promoting healthy online habits and mitigating the risks associated with excessive screen time. The article also highlights the importance of parental involvement and responsibility in shaping their children’s online experiences, emphasizing the need for open dialogue and collaboration between parents, children, and educators.