If we're comparing with Youtube, I can't help but think people aren't looking very hard. My kids' school can recommend dozens of places to get computer activities for kids. None of them are from big tech companies. There's a ton of small players in edtech, many with high quality content (I bring up prodigygame.com here from time to time, but there are others)
If you want to look specifically into communication tools for kids, the thing to be aware of is COPPA: it's an extremely restrictive regulation that governs what is allowable in apps/websites targeted at kids (e.g. something as basic as avatars are a no go, because they can expose the kid's appearance to strangers). Considering the horror stories you hear about teens and instagram, it's actually fairly understandable that the regulatory position is that kids have no business exposing themselves to online threats. Doctors also often suggest limiting screen time to no more than an hour a day. Parents letting screens babysit their kids do so against all sorts of expert advice.
People also bring up covid quarantines as a justification for more online engagement, but IMHO, this is an abnormal situation in the first place, and even then, there are various ways for kids to socialize, be it via zoom at school or just going to the nearby playground. And FWIW, I didn't have any of this fancy pants online social stuff growing up and I turned out just fine, even without a whole lot of in-person socialization either.
If we're comparing with Youtube, I can't help but think people aren't looking very hard. My kids' school can recommend dozens of places to get computer activities for kids. None of them are from big tech companies. There's a ton of small players in edtech, many with high quality content (I bring up prodigygame.com here from time to time, but there are others)
If you want to look specifically into communication tools for kids, the thing to be aware of is COPPA: it's an extremely restrictive regulation that governs what is allowable in apps/websites targeted at kids (e.g. something as basic as avatars are a no go, because they can expose the kid's appearance to strangers). Considering the horror stories you hear about teens and instagram, it's actually fairly understandable that the regulatory position is that kids have no business exposing themselves to online threats. Doctors also often suggest limiting screen time to no more than an hour a day. Parents letting screens babysit their kids do so against all sorts of expert advice.
People also bring up covid quarantines as a justification for more online engagement, but IMHO, this is an abnormal situation in the first place, and even then, there are various ways for kids to socialize, be it via zoom at school or just going to the nearby playground. And FWIW, I didn't have any of this fancy pants online social stuff growing up and I turned out just fine, even without a whole lot of in-person socialization either.