Exploiting Kids on YouTube is Not Okay
There's a video clip called "David after Dentist" making the YouTube rounds that features a young boy, probably six or seven years old, in the throes of anesthetic confusion following an oral medical procedure.
It was recommended to me by several different people who found it uproariously funny, and when I checked it out today I, at first, thought it was too.
Here's this gap-toothed kid tripping on laughing gas. He says silly, drugged-out things in a young kid kind of way that is endearing and hilarious.
There's something inherently comical about witnessing adult experiences in miniature form, and this clip embodies the genre.
But a few seconds into the nearly two-minute video I began to wonder at the rightness of exposing this child's private confusion. By the end of the two minutes I felt it was downright wrong.
Interestingly, when David's words and actions are described in writing, they're not nearly as funny. The comic value lies nearly entirely in the visual power of a child in the throes of a drug stupor.
I'm reluctant to drive any more traffic to the video, but here's my verbal description:
Sitting in a booster seat, strapped into the back seat of the car, David shares his thoughts and concerns with the holder of the video camera.
His head rolls from side to side. He gapes, stares, says, at various moments, "Uh, I feel funny," "Is this real life?" and, holding his index fingers in front of him, "Okay, okay now I have two fingers." He pokes at his stitches (and is told by the off-camera male voice not to), and says "I can't see anything."
He pushes himself out of his seat and screams, then collapses back into his seat and shuts his eyes. "I don't feel tired," he says. "Do I have stitches?" he asks, twice, and then wants to know why he can't touch them. His eyes widen and he observes, of the man videoing him, "You have four eyes."
He frowns, pulls his arms toward his body and extends them away from himself in a gesture of frustration, frowning. "I feel funny," he says. "Why is this happening to me?" The off-camera voice assures him: "It's okay, bud. It's just from the medicine," to which David responds, plaintively, "Is this going to be forever?" No, grown-up male voice says, laughing. David's head drops forward onto his chest.
No matter the comedic value, this is a child who trusts his parents/caregivers to help and protect him. He's freaking out and worried and that's real, not a joke. Clearly the child is going to be okay, and there's no serious breach of parental responsibility, but what about simple human respect?
Is it okay for a parent to publicly post his child's private moment of confusion? The child had no control over his actions in that moment, and he has no control over his dad's decision to share that private moment with others. Last I checked the video had more than 9,000,000 hits.
We are laughing at the child, not with him. No matter how innocuous the context, we are getting a laugh at a child's expense.
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Everyone seems to be missing the point here. My concern upon seeing this video was whether the dentist overmedicated the child. A couple of years ago in my hometown a child died for this reason. Dentists who specialize in treating adults might not know how to properly sedate children. The rest of these complaints pale in comparison to the real possibility that the child's health was endangered.
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Thank you for raising this point. I would like to hear more from trained medical experts about what level of anesthesia is appropriate and safe for children.
Thanks for this piece. I had the same reaction. I also am shocked to see people posting pictures of their children on public sites like My Space, etc. I've seen people include the kids' names and obvious identifying info in the photo as to location or school or team. These people even post pictures of their home. It is crazy.
Aside from the Right to Privacy issue, it's really not safe
Yet they have been doing this on America's Funniest Home Video for years and no outcry till now.
I have four words for you: America's Funniest Home Videos.
L
Wow, I think maybe you're taking this a little too far. Of all the things that are on the internet, you somehow think THIS is incredibly offensive either to the watcher or the subject? As commented above, both child and dad are having a blast with this. And your response to that about the child not knowing "what's best for him" is ridiculous. Posting a video on the internet is not something that will affect this kid's health or well being. It's quite obvious, just from hearing the voice on the recording, that the parent is a loving father who enjoys sharing funny times with his son. Wow. So dangerous.
If you want to get up in arms about exploiting kids on the internet, by all means be my guest, it's a serious problem. But there's a big difference between kiddy-p0rn recorded in a basement and a funny video about a kid coming down from anesthesia while safely strapped in a car seat and under the supervision of his father.
Clearly I watched a different video than you, because my first reaction to that particular video was "Get the kid an Oscar!". He was acting, hamming it up for the camera, and his father was egging him on. If we know anything about drugs, it's that drugs tend to bring out the real nature in kids, and in this case, the kid was just having some fun, acting and hamming it up for the camera.
Now, was it silly, stupid and pointless? Sure. That much I'll give you. But there is no way this kid wasn't a willing and eager participant who is milking the spotlight for all its worth.
yeah, cuz we all know 6 year-olds have perfect judgment!
it is the parents' job to protect the kid
I disagree with the statement that we are laughing at him, not with him. We laugh because we identify with the experience. My first thought was, wow, I wish I had a record of a similar childhood experience. All I have is a photograph of me as a baby, butt naked in a bathtub; that photo was shown around by my parents and laughed at many, many times over.
My theory is that the people who are reactive to this video are those who feel a little insecure in some way; bad childhood experience, made fun of as a teenager, I don't know but I suspect from the informal polls I have done that there is something to my theory.
Life happens. It seems healthier to me to acknowledge and celebrate in the things that happen to all of us. This kid will likely see this one day and laugh. We are absolutely laughing with him. I have yet to encounter a mean spirited response from anyone who has seen this video clip; there is compassion along with the humor.
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I agree that it's important to document and celebrate our lives and the lives of our families, and that it's important to share that documentation with our friends and family. But to post it on the web for anyone to see?
I suppose you didn't get the whole story. The kid, David, is having the time of his life with the video. He is very excited about the entire thing and it has made him quite famous. Both he and his father have been entirely amused and delighted by the reaction to the video.
It seems to me you need to lighten up. It is a funny video, and even the kid who stars in it can recognize that.
Where is the victim here?
John
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Do you truly think a young child possesses the kind of judgment that would enable him to say what's best for him? That's what parents are for.
THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!
but exploitation by cable channels is ok? (john & kate + 8, 17 kids and counting, conjoined twins, the bailey multiples, six for the road...)
That's what I was going to say. J&K +8 has many more personal moments on a day-to-day basis. Throwing up. Children in their underwear. Meltdowns (for the older girls, this is probably related to the stress of having cameras on them 24-7). Manually helping one of the boys get rid of...erm...constipation.
These examples are worse, I think, and especially since they get paid for it.
Are you serious? This was just a funny, light-hearted video demonstrating how silly people act when they've gotten the gas. The kid wasn't scared, he was just out of it. His dad was kind and reassuring during the video, I saw no evidence of child exploitation. They clearly just thought it was funny.
I really don't understand why you're all up in arms about this. His parents weren't 'failing to protect him' when they filmed the incident. They were just sharing their kid's cute and ridiculous behavior with the rest of the world. How is this different than filming a confused baby when it's been awoken from its nap?
What is your opinion of Bill Cosby or Bob Saget?
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