The dark side of YouTube: Parents abusing their children

Social media platforms have become so powerful, driving people to do the impossible in order to gain extra views or more likes. This is the case with some YouTubers who put their own children at risk and humiliate them to earn an extra click on the subscribe button.  

Many cases have been depicted worldwide of parent(s) abusing their child(ren), filming them, putting catchy titles on videos to attract more viewers and gain some extra money. 

YouTubers and child abuse

Under the pretext of medical education, Omnia, who claims she is a certified medical assistant, has a YouTube channel with 2,032,496 views, posting educational videos on it. Some videos show Omnia while injecting her son and daughter, usually in private areas, for educational purposes. 

This caused a wave of outrage among social media users, accusing the mother of sexually abusing her children. After many complaints, the Egyptian National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) reported the channel to the Egyptian public prosecution to take the necessary actions, Sout Al Omma reported. 

Previously, a similar crime was committed by vlogger couple Ahmed and Zeinab, who terrorized their daughter. The mother, Zeinab, was shown in videos while trying to scare her little kid and ignoring her cries. The couple was arrested over charges for abusing their child and then released later on bail of EGP 40,000, Al Masry Al Youm stated. 

Human rights and legal violations

Hany Helal, an Egyptian child rights expert, told Jusoor Post that these acts have been widely spread, describing them as explicit legal violations. “The Egyptian public prosecution is exerting its utmost to monitor the violations,” Helal said. 

He affirmed that these actions are violations of Article 291 of the Penal Code prohibiting infringement of the child’s right against any sexual, commercial, or economic trafficking.

“Media must play a crucial role in raising the awareness of the society and shedding light on these violating acts,” he said, adding, “the exploitation of children has long-term negative consequences on the child’s personality.” 

“It is a breach of human trafficking law No. 64/2010, which states that a violator is someone who abuses a vulnerable person or commits child pornography, forced labor or service,” Mohamed Farouk, an Egyptian attorney at United Lawyers law firm, told Jusoor Post. 

He suggested the law should be amended to cope with the new cases of child abuse emerging from the social media platforms. “Laws are made by humans to protect human rights and should be drafted and amended in accordance with new incidents and situations that take place in our daily life,” he added. 

Margaret Azar, a lawyer and former member of the Egyptian Parliament's Human Rights Committee, stressed that parents should protect and take care of their children instead of abusing them. “Parents do not own their children. They must know it is their responsibility to raise a normal person without causing him/her any psychological disorder,” she added. 

“Using children on YouTube is a crime. Unfortunately there is no law that states it is a crime,” she continued, calling on the Egyptian Parliament “to explicitly criminalize these acts and to stop parents from exploiting their children for the sake of money or fame.”

Psychological effect 

Child abuse can cause a variety of psychological problems and lead to behavioral disorders during childhood and adulthood, Ahmed Abu Al Wafa, a consultant psychiatrist in child and adolescent psychiatry, affirmed to Jusoor Post. 

“There are two types of effects: event effect and paternal effect. The child may be able to overcome the former if the event does not have a deep effect on his/her psyche. It is much easier for an infant who has no memory to recover from the effects of a bad event than a child with mental recognition,” he added. 

He referred to the paternal effect as more dangerous. Parents who do not have an emotional bond with their children can easily exploit them for their own interests, like the mentioned YouTubers. “They do not put themselves in their children’s shoes to understand their feelings,” he stated.   

“A child needs to be properly seen, recognized, respected, and heard. If parents fail to fulfill any of these needs, the child is shocked,” Abu Al Wafa told Jusoor Post. “If a child is raised by an emotionally immature parent, he/she suffers from real psychological problems in his/her personality throughout his/her life,” he said. 

Abu Al Wafa described the process as a traumatizing environment where the child grows to be more vulnerable due to his/her abnormal raising conditions. 

Child abuse by YouTubers around the globe  

Stories of child abuse by YouTubers are countless and can be found in any part of the world. Machelle Hobson, who died later, was an American YouTuber and was arrested on claims she disciplined her seven adopted children by locking them in closets without food or water and by using pepper spray, AP News reported.  

The hugely popular American FamilyOFive channel was banned by YouTube after the parents filmed prank videos showing them scolding and slapping their children while they broke down in tears. The parents were sentenced to five years of probation for child neglect, the Guardian stated. 

Other parents in Utah who have popular YouTube channel were publicly charged with child abuse after posting a video in which they filmed their teenage son while sleeping on a beanbag chair on the floor for months, according to Daily Mail. 

Child protection by UNICEF 

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) adopts the concept that every child has the right to live free from violence, exploitation and abuse.  

Children experience many forms of violence, exploitation and abuse in every country, while they should be most protected in their communities, their homes, schools and online, UNICEF stated. 

According to UNICEF, violence can be physical, emotional or sexual, and may come at the hands of the people they trust – their parents, teachers, peers and neighbors. Thus, UNICEF works with governments and its partners worldwide to prevent any form of abuse or violence against children.