My brother and I have been playing video games pretty much everyday for as long as we can remember. It came to us as no surprise when one day our youngest brother Nicky, asked if he could play something. Not wanting to leave him out of the family business, two of us abided by his request and turned “Fortnite” on for him.

That was six months ago. 

Much like every other 10-year-boy he got obsessed with it. His daily routine had become school, fortnite, sleep. He’s on it from sunrise to sunset.

This was something that everyone in my family expected to happen. After all, it happened to my brother and I when we were around his age. That point in every young boy’s life when all you want to do is stay home and play video games. 

About a week or two ago he started to play “Fortnite” with his friends from school. Everyday at around 4 p.m. they all get on and play together for a few hours. 

I usually tend to avoid being in the same room as my brother when he plays a game, mainly due to not wanting to hear his ear-piercing screaming. However, one day, I decided that I was going to sit down and watch him play. 

Now we don’t own a proper gaming headset. If we want to talk to our friends we have to do it through the Playstation controller’s built-in microphone and speaker. This also allows everyone else in the room to hear what our friends are saying.

What I’m about to say I mean in the most honest way possible. There’s no exaggeration in my words. 

The things his friends were saying left me totally dismayed.

I couldn’t believe the things they were saying. Everything was so mean-spirited and ugly. I’m fully aware of how some kids act. They’re wild, unhinged, manic, bonkers, whatever you want to say. With that being said, their comments go past what I would consider within the average annoying child. 

References to rapper P. Diddy and his long list of crimes. Never ending praise for Elon Musk and his ruthless capitalism. Extended anger towards members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Slang and jargon that I once thought was exclusive to college age individuals.

I was left speechless. My brother didn’t know how to respond half of the time. It was a feeling of total shock. I couldn’t help but wonder, how did they come in contact with these words and ideas?

It’s no secret that young men have been the subject of radicalization. All across the country men are exposed to the “ideal lifestyle” that every man should have. 

Radicalization is the process of adopting extreme views that can lead to violence or harm. It can involve political, social, or religious beliefs.

Usually when this topic is discussed we tend to think about men between the age ranges of 15 to 24 years old. While this is true for the most part, the seeds for radicalization are planted at an extremely young age.

Kids are obviously not acting the same way as grown adults. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t grow into it. They’re picking up the routine from somewhere, but where?

At first, I want to exclusively place the blame on YouTube shorts, an app that I know my brother’s friends use. The video sharing platform shares a lot of the same DNA as TikTok, a short and addictive video sharing platform.

Unlike TikTok, Shorts tend to be a little more unhinged. Edgy “jokes” fill the platform. Jokes that kids don’t fully understand. 

The problem grows to be even worse when you realize that these short term videos tend to be the only piece of content these young minds consume, creating a sort of echo chamber.

I feel like there’s more to it. We just can’t blame it on a singular source. I started to compare my brother’s early school years to my own. 

I’m sure that we have all had at least one particularly troublesome classmate in grade school. A kid that was always starting problems and creating drama. 

All it takes is one kid to come into school one day and make mention of how “cool” or “funny” something is. If one kid thinks something, there’s a chance that everyone else in their class will agree. 

As silly as it sounds, there does exist “cool kids.” Children will do whatever they can to fit in, even if that includes changing their views. 

There have been countless discussions about what we’re showing our kids. Conservative parents are constantly complaining about their kids being exposed to “anti-American products” and “LGBTQ+ brainwashing.”

These things however, tend to go both ways. We’re exposing kids to hateful and dangerous ideas. Whether that be through the media they watch, the personal opinion of their parents, or just them not fully understanding the complexity of a topic.

My family and I are rather protective of what my brother watches and hears. However, it seems like other families don’t care quite as much. 

I am not a parent so I can’t really tell others how to raise their kids. I can, however, say that I have noticed a pattern, a pattern that needs to be changed.