The YouTube Kids Algorithm Scandal: The Hidden Dark Side of Viral Videos

Between 2016-2017, something bizarre and deeply disturbing happened on YouTube Kids, and most people have no idea it ever existed. Elsagate—the mysterious rabbit hole of disturbing videos featuring beloved cartoon characters in nightmarish scenarios—was so weird that YouTube actively tried to hide it from the public. But this isn't just a story about creepy content. It's a story about how algorithms can be exploited to harm children, how platforms profit from trauma, and why the same thing is probably happening right now on platforms you use daily. Join us as we explore one of the internet's most bizarre and unsettling mysteries, and discover what it reveals about how the algorithms we trust actually work.