Elsagate is back as new YouTube trend targets children through ‘Bluey’

We all know the online controversy that was ‘Elsagate‘ back in 2016. For those who don’t know, it was when children were exposed to inappropriate content disguised as children’s entertainment.

And if you thought that YouTube’s dark history of inappropriate content targeting young children is over, you’d be wrong. The trend is back, where channels are using characters from the Australian Emmy Award-winning children’s show Bluey to target kids with videos not suited for them.

As of this writing, the trend is currently in its early stages. However, a warning was posted on r/Bluey, where Reddit user u/larizao shared a post by the Bluey compilation YouTube channel Vrg_rl. They said that there are YouTube channels slowly appearing on the platform uploading inappropriate videos featuring the iconic blue heeler.

SPREAD THIS WARNING:

Do not let any of your kids watch any channels with a name similar to “Animation 4.o” or any channel that uploads weird bluey fan animations. I have images proving that this a big group of people scamming youtubers to give their accounts to them, and they’re pedophiles too. With your help by spreading this message, we can put an end to their channels and stop this scam.

WeGotThisCovered took a closer look at some of these channels. All we can say is that these videos either feature the Bluey characters running away from monsters, doing harmful stunts, or Bluey turning into a werewolf. Some of the videos also have characters with scary and horrifying facial expressions and body features that may also not be appropriate for younger audiences.

People who have come across these channels have reported that the videos were unsettling for them, and are worried about the clickbait profile picture. Some also agreed with the allegations that the YouTuber has made, as they were seen on various Discord servers.

And these videos have started to reach kids. One parent reported on the subreddit that they caught their children watching a similar video thanks to YouTube’s suggested videos tab.

Luckily for parents, there are tools on the YouTube Kids app to block specific videos and channels deemed inappropriate. Also, kids finding this channel on the main YouTube website isn’t easy. However, a few parents reported on the r/Bluey subreddit that the YouTube Kids app isn’t perfect either, and there is a chance that these types of videos will appear on the feed.

According to YouTube’s community guidelines, all content featuring characters from children’s shows must be tagged “Made for Kids”. At the same time, the website has community guidelines for misleading children’s content. It states that any content that either harms children or misleads them with inappropriate content is not allowed to be uploaded on YouTube.

Don’t post content on YouTube if it fits any of the descriptions below.

Misleading family content: Content that targets young minors and families, but contains:

-Sexual themes

-Violence

-Obscenity or other mature themes not suitable for young audiences

-Family friendly cartoons that target young minors and contain adult or age-inappropriate themes such as violence, sex, death, drugs and more. Make sure your titles, descriptions, and tags match the audience you’re targeting. In addition, ensure your audience selection accurately represents the audience your content is suitable for. You can also age restrict your content upon upload if it’s intended for mature audiences.

The videos on these channels may have been set to “made for kids”, but parents have to be vigilant, especially if your children are into watching Bluey.

Both YouTube and Ludo Studios have been reached out for comment.