Ming from Agents of Speech explains how unsupervised screen time can leave speech-delayed kids reciting letters and numbers but unable to use language in real conversation. Videos optimized for watch time and ad clicks often contain mildly obscene content designed to grab attention. Supervision and safer content choices matter.
So the main problem with watching videos on the Internet is that they don't know how to use the language that they learned. So that's why you can see children who are saying A, B, C, D, E, F, G. All those like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And then all the animal names like shapes and numbers, but they don't know how to use it. They don't have to interact. The problem is that we leave them to watch it without supervision. And more and more these videos, they're trying to make money off of kids. That's why they're optimizing for watch time. They wanted to watch as much as possible and at the same time show ads that kids will click on. And that means sometimes it's a little obscene. Maybe that drives curiosity of the child and that really needs your attention. You cannot just leave them there and watch. If you want to leave them to watch something, play something that is a little more safe.
