'Soph' has nearly a million followers on the giant video platform. Its executives only have themselves to blame.
have even used the platform as a launching pad for political aspirations. But Soph is a child. Despite the vitriol of her words and her confidence in delivering them, she’s still just a 14-year-old kid. And hearing this language lisped through braces, with the odd word mispronounced as if read but never before said, is clarifying.
YouTube’s kid problem is well-known. From disturbing auto-generated cartoons, to parents who play act violence with their children for clicks, to a network of users exploiting videos of children for sexual content, the company has consistently failed at protecting the young users who are its most valuable assets. But Soph’s popularity raises another, perhaps more difficult question, about whether YouTube has an obligation to protect such users from themselves — and each other.
But the powers of parents over children who live online are limited. And YouTube has taken no ownership over what is happening to kids who grow up inhaling its trademark stench of bigotry, conspiracy, and nihilism. Now the kids, or the smart ones anyway, seem to know it. Indeed, YouTube’s own incompetence and lack of quality is one of Soph’s recurring themes; She acknowledges owing her fame to them.
“Susan, I’ve known your address since last summer,” Soph said, directly addressing YouTube CEO Susan Wojicki. “I’ve got a Luger and a mitochondrial disease. I don’t care if I live, why should I care if you live or your children? I just called an Uber. You’ve got about seven minutes to draft up a will. . .I’m coming for you and it ain’t gonna be pretty.”
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