data concerning only the primary YouTube platform, excluding YouTube Kids
Supplementary notes
According to the source: "a total of 191 parents who participated in [the study]provided a list of the last videos their children watched on the main YouTube site. Sample: 1,639 videos analyzed.
Always according to the source: " All categories coded 0 (not present), 1 (present in mild form or limited amount), or 2 (present persistently or to a major degree), except for wish fulfillment, interpersonal violence, or stereotypes, which were coded not present/present." Values may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.
Citation formats
YouTube: negative content watched by kids in the U.S. 2020, by frequency
According to a March to April 2021 survey of U.S. parents, 70 percent of YouTube videos watched by children did not include any physical violence. However, 20 percent of videos included mild or limited physical violence, and a further 14 percent of video content consumed by children aged up to eight years had persistent themes of violence. This makes physical violence one of the most common types of negative content in YouTube videos watched by children. In contrast, drinking, drugs, or smoking was not present in 96 percent of video content that was popular with kids. Generally speaking, the great majority of the videos analyzed did not present any negative content.
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Common Sense Media. (November 17, 2020). Frequency of negative content appearing in YouTube videos watched by young children in the United States as of April 2020 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from /statistics/1268656/youtube-videos-negative-content-watched-by-children-usa/
Common Sense Media. "Frequency of negative content appearing in YouTube videos watched by young children in the United States as of April 2020." Chart. November 17, 2020. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Accessed July 28, 2026. /statistics/1268656/youtube-videos-negative-content-watched-by-children-usa/
Common Sense Media. (2020). Frequency of negative content appearing in YouTube videos watched by young children in the United States as of April 2020. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 28, 2026. /statistics/1268656/youtube-videos-negative-content-watched-by-children-usa/
Common Sense Media. "Frequency of Negative Content Appearing in Youtube Videos Watched by Young Children in The United States as of April 2020." ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc., 17 Nov 2020, /statistics/1268656/youtube-videos-negative-content-watched-by-children-usa/
Common Sense Media, Frequency of negative content appearing in YouTube videos watched by young children in the United States as of April 2020 ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, /statistics/1268656/youtube-videos-negative-content-watched-by-children-usa/ (last visited July 28, 2026)
Frequency of negative content appearing in YouTube videos watched by young children in the United States as of April 2020 [Graph], Common Sense Media, November 17, 2020. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1268656/youtube-videos-negative-content-watched-by-children-usa/