Mums issue stark warning about ‘dark Peppa Pig' videos going viral on YouTube set out to target and terrify your kids
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
PARENTS have issued a stark warning about 'dark Peppa Pig' videos that are going viral online.
The famous cartoon pig is adored and often watched on YouTube by many young children around the country, but now depraved creators are taking advantage of Peppa Pig's popularity and creating harmful versions of the iconic show.
6
Parents have issued an urgent warning about 'dark Peppa Pig' videos that are going viral on YouTube
Credit: YouTube
6
While two horrifying clips have been removed from the platform, others show the iconic characters holding guns
Credit: YouTube
6
One clip showed Mummy Pig making Peppa Pig into a pancake
Credit: YouTube
The horror videos, which are set to target and terrify young children, have racked up millions of views on the video sharing platform.
Pranksters have used genuine Peppa Pig episodes and re-dubbed sections of them to include shameful content.
Numerous clips showed the iconic character and her family holding machine guns.
Another saw the family cooking Peppa Pig in a pancake and eating her.
Meanwhile, as reported by the Daily Mail, another twisted video showed the cartoon pig snorting cocaine.
A YouTube spokesperson has since confirmed that two viral clips have been taken down, but there are still numerous videos floating around that millions of children may have been exposed to them.
A spokesperson told the Mirror: 'We've removed both videos from YouTube and terminated a channel for violating our child safety policies, which we rigorously enforce.'
Such 'Dark Peppa Pig' videos first came to light in 2017, when an investigation by the BBC found hundreds of harmful clips on YouTube which appeared to be episodes of Peppa Pig but were actually terrifying content targeted at children.
In 2018, a mother from Melbourne, named Moonee Ponds, was taking a conference call while her daughter watched Peppa Pig online, but she soon noticed something wasn't right when she noticed the absence of the cartoon character's voice.
As she checked on her daughter, she was stunned to find footage of a kneeling man about to be beheaded, hitting the power button seconds from the gruesome act playing out, The Advertiser reported.
Four ways to keep kids safe on YouTube
Fortunately, Moonee was able to protect her daughter from the horrifying clip, but wanted other mothers to know the 'kids' function on YouTube did not guarantee cyber safety.
Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Safety Angus Taylor has since called on social media companies to be more vigilant with its policing of content.
Keeping kids safe on YouTube
RESTRICTED Mode is an optional setting on YouTube that helps filter out mature videos.
It's not perfect, but it's a good way of scrubbing out a large portion of the adult material on YouTube.
However, you have to turn it off manually for each browser or device your child is using – it can't simply be applied at account level.
On your computer, go to the account icon – a little person icon in the top right corner of your screen.
Click Restricted Mode, then use the toggle button to turn it on.
On the Android phone app or mobile site, tap the menu icon, which looks like three vertical dots.
Then go to Settings > General and turn Restricted Mode on.
On Android TV, go to the Home screen then scroll down to the Apps row.
Select YouTube, then scroll down and select Settings.
Choose Restricted Mode or Safety Mode, then select Enabled.
On the iOS app (for iPhones or iPad), tap the account icon in the top right.
Tap Settings then Restricted Mode Filtering, then choose Strict: Restricted Mode On.
On the iOS mobile site, tap the menu icon, which looks like a three-dot column.
Tap Settings then tap Restricted Mode to turn it on or off.
Minister Taylor said: 'I am aware of these types of cases. Social media companies absolutely have a responsibility to do more.'
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman shared: 'All versions of the YouTube Kids app use filters powered by algorithms to select videos from YouTube.
'We continually work hard to make our algorithms as accurate as possible in order to provide a safer version of YouTube.'
As well as this, Cyber Cop's Susan McClean suggested parents could protect their kids by boycotting internet streaming services and instead using DVDs or VCR.
Joe Pritchard's Peppa Pig horror
Meanwhile, a dad-of-two previously expressed outrage after his son started watching an explicit fake version of Peppa Pig while browsing YouTube.
The seemingly innocent video started as any normal tale involving Peppa, George and her parents, but the content soon changed with references to a paedophile dentist, which was of course not included in the original version.
Joe Pritchard, 25, from Cornwall, let his three-year-old son watch some genuine Peppa Pig videos on the internet.
He told MailOnline: 'Jack is three and is in the process of being tested for autism, and we've found that if he watches a show for 15 minutes on the phone it calms him down and helps him relax.'
If a slightly older child saw this, it could be traumatising. There is nothing to warn people that the content is graphic
Joe Pritchard
Mr Pritchard said he asked Jack about the episode he was watching and was disgusted when he realised the content of the video, as he recalled: 'My partner went to the kitchen when she heard the language and turned it off immediately.
'Some of them have Peppa Pig getting killed. We had to warn the nursery that he had seen this in case he repeated something.
'If a slightly older child saw this, it could be traumatising. There is nothing to warn people that the content is graphic.
'I think there should be more control on the internet.
'Now we're not going to be able to let him watch things on the mobile anymore. It's going to make our lives ten times harder now and it's a shame because he enjoyed it.'
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club
6
The dark clips are terrifying kids and racking up millions of views on YouTube
Credit: YouTube
6
One clip, which has since been removed, showed the cartoon pig snorting cocaine
Credit: YouTube
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Michael Mosley's wife Clare speaks out about his shocking death last year in Greece
The daytime TV regular, 67, was found dead days after going missing while on a walk on holiday on the Greek island of Symi 'WONDERFUL MAN' Michael Mosley's wife Clare speaks out about his shocking death last year in Greece THE wife of tragic telly doctor Michael Mosley has spoken out about his shocking death - saying he collapsed after wandering off because 'he got bored'. Clare Mosely, 63, said husband Michael, who died while holidaying in Greece last June, told her he was going exploring and agreed to meet her back at their villa. The daytime TV regular, 67, was found dead days after going missing while on a walk on holiday on the Greek island of Symi amid intense 37C temperatures last summer. In her first interview, Clare told the Daily Mail: 'We'd only been there for half a day before it happened…typically, Michael got bored. 'He wasn't enjoying his book and he doesn't really like lying on beaches so he said, 'I'm going exploring. I'm off for a walk'. 'He agreed to meet us back at our friends' villa. 'I gave him my litre bottle of water and in his rather eccentric way, he had an umbrella to shield him from the sun. It was 1.30pm and he was given instructions on where to walk. 'He set off at a good pace, his rucksack on his back, up a steep hill. He hadn't brought his phone because he didn't want to risk it getting wet on the boat.' Clare said that she got concerned when he failed to return and that when she reported him missing the police told her they couldn't do anything as he needed to have been gone for 48 hours. She added: ''Feeling things weren't right, we went to the police station and reported him missing. The police said, 'We can't do anything about it until he's been gone for 48 hours'. 'I said, 'What, in this heat?' It was 40 degrees, the hottest day for decades. 'I had to push really hard, but finally they agreed to get a local search-and-rescue team out, then we went to the little hospital, but there was no sign of him there.' Reason why Dr Michael Mosley made ill-fated decision to leave phone before doomed walk revealed in cause-of-death update Michael's body was finally found by journalists, including one from The Sun, just 100 yards from the safety of a restaurant and 150 yards from a spot searched by a 100-person rescue team only days earlier. Clare, who married Michael in 1987, called him "my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband".
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Michael Mosley's wife Clare speaks out about his shocking death last year in Greece
THE wife of tragic telly doctor Michael Mosley has spoken out about his shocking death - saying he collapsed after wandering off because 'he got bored'. Clare Mosely, 63, said husband Michael, who died while holidaying in Greece last June, told her he was going exploring and agreed to meet her back at their villa. The daytime TV regular, 67, was found dead days after going missing while on a walk on holiday on the Greek island of Symi amid intense 37C temperatures last summer. In her first interview, Clare told the Daily Mail: 'We'd only been there for half a day before it happened…typically, Michael got bored. 'He wasn't enjoying his book and he doesn't really like lying on beaches so he said, 'I'm going exploring. I'm off for a walk'. 'He agreed to meet us back at our friends' villa. 'I gave him my litre bottle of water and in his rather eccentric way, he had an umbrella to shield him from the sun. It was 1.30pm and he was given instructions on where to walk. 'He set off at a good pace, his rucksack on his back, up a steep hill. He hadn't brought his phone because he didn't want to risk it getting wet on the boat.' Clare said that she got concerned when he failed to return and that when she reported him missing the police told her they couldn't do anything as he needed to have been gone for 48 hours. She added: ''Feeling things weren't right, we went to the police station and reported him missing. The police said, 'We can't do anything about it until he's been gone for 48 hours'. 'I said, 'What, in this heat?' It was 40 degrees, the hottest day for decades. 'I had to push really hard, but finally they agreed to get a local search-and-rescue team out, then we went to the little hospital, but there was no sign of him there.' Reason why Dr Michael Mosley made ill-fated decision to leave phone before doomed walk revealed in cause-of-death update Michael's body was finally found by journalists, including one from The Sun, just 100 yards from the safety of a restaurant and 150 yards from a spot searched by a 100-person rescue team only days earlier. Clare, who married Michael in 1987, called him "my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband". 1
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Bruno Tonioli's BGT future in doubt because of clash with US show – paving way for popular star to take place
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRITAIN'S Got Talent judge Bruno Tonioli's future on the show has been thrown into doubt as filming dates for the next series clash with his US telly gig on Dancing With The Stars. It paves the way for Simon Cowell to put his favourite guest judge — social media star KSI — in the flamboyant Italian's place. 1 Bruno Tonioli's future on the show has been thrown into doubt - pictured with Simon Cowell Credit: Rex Former Strictly judge Bruno replaced David Walliams on the panel in 2023, joining Simon, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon. KSI, who has 75million social media followers, has guested on the ITV show whenever Simon has invited him, including last night's BGT final and in 2024 when Bruno was filming in the US. 'A real charming man' A source said: 'There is no doubt that KSI's social media clout is exactly what the BGT panel needs, and Simon loves the edge he brings. 'TV isn't getting the viewing figures it did a decade ago, so to have someone who can tell their followers to sit down and watch the box can have a real impact. 'Because of the scheduling issues, insiders are certain that Simon will offer KSI a more long-term position in the show.' Speaking last week, Bruno, 69, insisted he didn't feel threatened by the 31-year-old YouTube sensation. He said: 'We're both young, attractive, multi-talented stars, known the world over. Joking aside, I think KSI is fantastic — a real charming man, full of energy. 'We attended the Brits together too, which was a fabulous evening.' After KSI's first appearance on BGT in February, his fans demanded that the Prime energy drink mogul become a permanent fixture. A BGT spokesman declined to comment. Britain's Got Talent viewers slam Bruno Tonioli for hitting Golden Buzzer after act's TV past is exposed But an insider added: 'We had a similar situation last year. 'Bruno was filming Dancing With The Stars in October but was still available to film BGT auditions in Blackpool. In this year's series, KSI stepped in as a guest judge for both Bruno and Simon on different audition dates.'
