YouTube Cartoons Are Duping Kids Into Watching Inappropriate Clips (Report)

As more and more advertisers are boycotting YouTube amid concerns that their campaigns are running against hate-filled content, the BBC has uncovered a similar controversy within the realm of children’s content.

There are thousands of YouTube videos that look like they come from popular cartoon franchises like Disney’s Frozen, Minions, and Thomas The Tank Engine, according to the BBC, but in actuality contain disturbing content that’s not suitable for children.

The journalist Laura June, for instance, assumed that her three-year-old daughter was watching a Peppa Pig video only to see a sadistic dentist with a huge syringe appear and start yanking out Peppa’s teeth amid screams and cries. “Down in the muck and mystery of YouTube’s open platform,” June wrote of her discovery on The Outline, “these brands become something much more sinister.”

Additionally, there are children’s channels like Toys And Funny Kids Surprise Eggs, that are massively popular and ostensibly aimed at children but, upon closer inspection, produce videos that are inappropriate for younger viewers, according to the BBC

. One of the most popular videos on Toys And Funny Kids Surprise Eggs, which has roughly 6 million subscribers and 5.4 billion lifetime views, sees a claymation figurine of The Hulk receiving a shot from the doctor on his naked behind (141 million views).

“We take feedback very seriously. We appreciate people drawing problematic content to our attention, and make it easy for anyone to flag a video,” YouTube, which suggested that parents download the YouTube Kids app or enable Restricted Mode for added security, told the BBC in a statement.

“Flagged videos are manually reviewed 24/7 and any videos that don’t belong in the app are removed within hours. For parents who want a more restricted experience, we recommend that they turn off the Search feature in the app.”