In conversations with parents we keep hearing the same sentence: "Jirka is twelve and he's constantly on YouTube. What do I do?" Even more surprising is how much time the child actually spends there — most parents estimate 30 minutes, the reality is often triple that.
What the data says
The latest survey from the Czech Statistical Office (2025) shows that children aged 9–14 spend an average of 94 minutes a day on YouTube. That's more than all other social networks combined (TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat).
Interestingly, unlike TikTok, which parents see as "the bad one", YouTube is often perceived as "educational". In some ways it is — Khan Academy, NASA, teacher channels. But the same YouTube algorithm serves a twelve-year-old 45-minute compilation videos from some streamer.
Don't ban, don't skimp on attention
What parents usually do first: ban YouTube. What happens: the child finds another way (a friend, phone at school, tablet during holidays). You lose visibility, they lose time — and you lose the relationship.
A better approach is knowing. If you know:
- which channels the child actually follows,
- how long they spend on them,
- what time of day (morning before school? evening before bed?),
- what preceded it (frustration? boredom? exhaustion?),
…you can have a concrete conversation, not an abstract "you're glued to it again".
What to say to your kids
Instead of "You're on that phone again" try:
"I noticed you watched six 20-minute episodes from the same streamer on Tuesday evening. That's two hours. What do you enjoy about it? And did you enjoy your day, or did you want to switch off?"
That's not judgment. It's an opening. Only when you have context can you work out a rhythm together — instead of imposing one from above.
When it's not just about YouTube
Be aware when YouTube time spikes (say, 50% increase in a few weeks). That's often not about YouTube — it's a symptom. School, friends, self-esteem, boredom, lack of activities. YouTube is the easy escape, not the cause.
At that moment a parent needs data — not arguments.
YouTube Mentor is a tool that shows you what, when, and how long your child watches. Not so you can police them. So you have context for a better conversation.