Real Talk

Moderating Media: Tips for Teaching Kids How to Filter Content on Their Own

by Kevyn Gohu
January 15, 2026

Filtering content can’t be done by the algorithm alone—even we users, kids and parents, need to learn how to do it

We’re always trying to filter the content our kids see on their devices. Violence, nudity, cursing, sex, and drugs—while we know that’s reality, it’s not something parents want to talk about with their kids right away. Some topics are just meant to be delayed, or at least talked about when they’re much older. But what can a parent do when that kind of content is literally the first thing they see when they open YouTube or whatever streaming app they’re into?

Here are some tips for teaching kids how to filter content on their own

1. If the letters “TW” appear, scroll away.

“TW,” short for “Trigger Warning,” became a practice for many writers and artists when their artworks started causing psychological distress. It became an ethical practice for any digital content creator, as it also served as a disclaimer. It’s their way of saying, “You’ve been warned. Any emotional distress after is on you.”

So, if those letters appear, teach the kids to scroll away. Don’t sit and watch. For teens, tell them to hit the “pause” button and read the caption first. That usually contains a summary of the content anyway.

2. Check the thumbnail

Shorts don’t always have a thumbnail unless they’re coming from the actual page. However, YouTube videos always do, and it usually just takes one look to figure out if the content is something worth filtering out or not.

The rule’s pretty simple: darker colors usually mean deeper topics while lighter colors like pastel colors mean kid-friendly. That’s the general rule, except when they come across something like anime or Happy Tree Friends—every millennial fell into that digital rabbit hole which is why most have a “zero trust policy” for digital content.

3. Influence the algorithm by clicking “new.”

We can turn the algorithm into a filter by clicking on various videos that we feel are safe content. The rule is to let the video run for at least eight to nine seconds. Doing so lets the algorithm believe that we are interested in said content. After that, just branch out from there. For example, if we watch a short on making macaroni and cheese, let it run and then click on the next video.

Keep doing that, and eventually, the oddities get filtered out.

4. Go “incognito” when we browse deeper things

Kids gain access to deeper content because browsers save all users’ history. All it takes is a letter or even three letters of a word, and the search engine will filter out content in hopes of predicting what we need. While it’s useful for us, it’s not always safe for kids who are just simply too curious about what exists on the internet.

Most internet browsers have that option to go “incognito.” For keyboard combinations, open a browser and just press and hold “CTRL + Shift + N” for Windows and Mac, “Command + Shift N.” It then becomes a private window, which will delete at least 95% of that particular window’s browsing history, making sure the kids don’t find it.

5. Teach them how to recognize headlines

Headlines are always made to be catchy to get people to click. But that’s the problem: some can be misleading just to get clicks. Others simplify the topic too much to the point, which kind of muddies up the message. However, in most digital content, there’s always a cover or feature photo and a headline. The rule of thumb is: if the cover photo and the headline don’t match in terms of emotion then, don’t. They should match as much as possible.

6. Don’t shy away from the topic when they do finally ask about it

Truth is, the more we filter the content from them—the more they’re going to look for it. We may be tired from answering the whys of our house’s child-sized CEOs, but where else are they going to get the information?

We can’t filter content for them forever

At the end of the day, no algorithm can replace discernment. Filters help, parental controls matter—but they are scaffolding, not substitutes. Teaching kids how to pause, assess, and walk away from content gives them something far more powerful than a locked setting: judgment.

The internet isn’t going anywhere, and neither is curiosity. So instead of treating content as a ticking bomb, we can treat it as a conversation—one we return to again and again, at age-appropriate moments. Because the real goal isn’t to shield kids forever; it’s to raise young people who know when to scroll past, when to ask questions, and when to say, “This isn’t for me.” That’s not just digital safety—that’s digital literacy.