Role Of Youtube Kids Channel In Socialization Of Children During Covid-19

Abstract

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the education institutions remained closed for a long time and physical activities were also limited. People were maintaining social distance alongwith strictly following other Covid-19 SOP’s. Meanwhile, children were also bound to their home boundaries, which ultimately increased their screen time. The purpose of this study was to find out the impact of YouTube Kids Channel on social learning and socialization of children during the period of Covid-19. For the purpose, researchers used purposive sampling technique and designed a questionnaire, which was distributed among 301 parents whose children were between 2 to 8 years of age. Researchers applied Social Learning Theory and Uses and Gratification Theory to seek the answers to the research question and meet the objectives. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21, and appropriate statistical tests were applied. Findings of the study suggested that YouTube kids had both type of impacts on children, positive and negative. Results also indicate that more than half of the children used YouTube kids for 2 to 4 hours per day. The usage of YouTube kids was same in both genders, although different age groups of children learnt different attitudes and behaviors from watching videos on YouTube kids. Children learnt different type of vocabulary from YouTube kids’ content. At the same time YouTube kids decreased the physical activities of children and had been damaging their health in different ways. Results of the study also showed that some children also learnt violence and aggressiveness from some of the videos on YouTube kids.