AI and Children’s Content: A New Era or a Threat to Genuine Emotions?
- 1 April 2025
Artificial intelligence is radically transforming the children’s content industry by offering automated solutions for video creation. AI-driven tools like DeepBrain AI, Runway, and Synthesia can generate scripts, synthesize voices, create animations, and even fully automate video production. While these advancements open up new possibilities, they also present challenges related to authenticity, cognitive safety, and content quality.
Children’s content has always evolved toward higher quality, progressing from simple amateur videos to professional productions with carefully crafted direction, scripts, and staging. However, artificial intelligence operates on entirely different principles. Algorithms analyze viewer behavior patterns and generate videos with the primary goal of retaining attention rather than creating logical and emotionally rich narratives. This could lead to a decline in storytelling structure, fragmented thinking in children, and an oversimplified perception of information. For example, traditional content follows the rules of dramaturgy—with a beginning, development, climax, and resolution—whereas AI-generated videos often prioritize visual effects over a coherent storyline.
Yuriy Alieksieienko, a Creative Director of children’s content who has collaborated with leading YouTube channels and developed numerous projects for major children’s YouTube creators such as Like Nastya, Mister Max, Miss Katy, and Smile Family, emphasizes that the essence of children’s content lies in live interaction and authentic emotions. Children do not merely consume videos; they build trust with characters through their genuine behavior. Live actors, natural reactions, and real interactions are crucial for children’s comprehension. AI cannot replicate genuine emotions because it does not understand the logic of children’s perception—it merely analyzes vast amounts of data to generate scripts based on trends.
As Yuriy Alieksieienko states:
“When children watch content, they primarily seek an emotional connection with the characters. AI cannot provide this interaction because its script logic is not based on real-life experience.”
Another challenge is the impact of algorithmically generated content on children’s cognitive development. Research shows that children under five need a clear sequence of events and sufficient time to process information. AI-generated content often relies on rapid edits, flashy effects, and chaotic scene transitions, contributing to fragmented thinking. While these videos may be engaging, they do not foster development as they fail to provide the necessary time for comprehension.
A separate concern is safety. In traditional content production, children’s videos undergo a multi-level review process involving psychologists, scriptwriters, producers, and editors. Content is created following age-appropriate guidelines and international standards such as COPPA. AI-generated content does not always go through such rigorous scrutiny, increasing the risk of distributing material that may not meet educational or safety standards.
Yuriy Alieksieienko stresses:
“AI opens new possibilities for accelerating production, but without oversight, children’s content risks losing its quality and safety.”
Despite these challenges, AI has potential as a supplementary tool. It can optimize editing processes, automate graphics generation, and speed up content adaptation for different platforms and languages. However, a complete replacement of human creativity is impossible. Alieksieienko emphasizes that the future of children’s content lies in a balance between technology and traditional filmmaking. AI cannot replace creative thinking because it operates by analyzing past trends rather than generating innovative ideas. Children’s content must remain high-quality, meaningful, and safe, requiring professionals who understand child psychology and create content not just for passive consumption but for the development of young minds.
“AI cannot replace creative thinking because it works by analyzing past trends. The future of children’s content lies in the synergy of human creativity and technology,” concludes Alieksieienko.
