YouTube is the most used video streaming service for adults as well as kids. That is why Google even created a YouTube Kids App back in 2015 for children who can enjoy while parents sit back and relax as the videos are filtered. Everything was running smoothly until kids started complaining to their parents that the animated monsters in the videos scare them. Disturbing content has started slipping through the cracks of the "kid-friendly" filters, parents and experts are questioning just how much we can rely on these algorithmic black box babysitters.

Recently, the New York Times published an article about "startling videos" slipping past YouTube's filters. The piece shed light on worrisome content appearing in child-safe searches, including creepy knock-offs of Nickelodeon's PAW Patrol, a pre-schooler aimed program about a group of problem-solving pound puppies.

Google announced that it will be cracking down on disturbing cartoons that appear on the YouTube Kids App. Google says it's rolling out new policies in the coming weeks to make sure the cartoons, which appear to be made for kids but have very inappropriate adult-themes, are taken down. Parents have been warning other parents about these parody cartoon videos for months.

Hundreds of these videos exist on YouTube, and some generate millions of views. A new study by researchers from the US, UK, and Brazil analysed YouTube videos from all three regions that had been viewed more than 37 billion times. They found that children are increasingly exposed to videos containing advertising and disturbing images that are indistinguishable from regular kids' programming.

One channel, called "Toys and Funny Kids Surprise Eggs", is one of the top 100 most watched YouTube accounts in the world. Its videos have more than 5 billion views.

Many of the videos appear harmless and are. But some other videos are strangely disturbing, especially when considering that children are watching them. One features a Spiderman-baby playing with scissors. Another shows a Claymation Hulk getting his pants pulled down. Other videos feature Peppa Pig, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Elsa from Frozen, and many other characters. All of them appear to be kids’ videos with adult-themed content.

The disturbing remixes include altered storylines involving demons, death and car crashes. They can be troubling for young viewers who likely stumble across the videos unknowingly as they consume a string of clips curated by the platform's algorithms.

But YouTube's approach relies heavily on users flagging the inappropriate content. "No system is ever going to be fool proof," says Johnson. He adds that while YouTube's added moderation is an improvement, it's not a perfect solution. YouTube isn't the only provider of kids' programming vulnerable to algorithmic flaws. Just last week, parents started noticing adult content popping up in Netflix's child-friendly search results.

“This is a children’s application — it’s targeted to children,” said Crissi Gilreath, a mother of two in Oklahoma, “and I just can’t believe that with such a big company they don’t have people whose job it is to filter and flag.” While we cannot stop children from viewing what they see on television, we can at least filter and control what they see. It is high time that someone finds a solution to this and help our children dream and imagine in an uncontrolled environment.