Building a Browser Extension that Helps Parents Filter Out Overstimulating Youtube Videos

Tell us About Kaini

My name is Damir Tahiri, the author of Kaini, a free browser extension that helps parents to protect their toddlers from fast-paced Youtube content for kids.

Kaini detects and blocks videos for kids with successive rapid scene changes, which can have a negative impact on their behavior, attention span, and mental health.

Earliest experiences matter. Major human brain development happens in the first five years of life. This is when the brain is “formatted” for the rest of its life. Overstimulating the developing brain or incorrectly stimulating the brain at this early age can negatively impact later life.

Prolonged exposure to rapid scene change during critical periods of brain development precondition the mind to expect high levels of stimulation (Dimitri Christakis on TEDxRainer). This may lead to various problems in later life, such as attention disorder, behavior disorder, hyperactivity, etc.

Kaini is designed to help parents by focusing on three main areas of support: awareness (alerts), overview (average scene length), and control (automatic blocking) of fast-paced YouTube content.

What’s your background, and how did you come up with the idea?

Since becoming a parent and being surrounded by many children in the last few years, I noticed that aggressively edited, fast-paced YouTube content has a negative impact on their behavior. They have much less patience and interest in activities such as walking in nature, riding in a car, reading a book, or even playing with toys.

For me, it's terrifying that some future generations may be unable to enjoy and appreciate these simple, real-life pleasures. It seems to me this is already happening, as kids are getting addicted from a very young age to highly simulative internet content, which makes a normal life experience simply boring for them.

This is why I decided to build a Chrome extension and mobile app which is helping parents to take control over the fast-paced video content their children watch on Youtube. Chrome extension is already available in the Google web store, and mobile apps are coming soon.

How did you get your first customers?

Kaini is still a very early MVP. I don’t have any paying customers, but I do have pretty good feedback from the Product Hunt launch, so I'm hoping I’ll be able to validate that on the market.

How’s the business doing now?

Kaini is still not making any money, but we are talking about a very early/initial version of MVP. In this phase, the biggest success would be increasing the number of users and, most importantly, their feedback, which I plan to rely on in future investments and development.

What marketing channels are working well to acquire customers?

I think many parents are still on Facebook, so I plan to do an advertisement campaign on Facebook where I would target parents using a Chrome browser. I am also trying to spread the word in the various Facebook groups, and maybe even some Youtube ads could be useful. And, of course, interviews like this are highly valued and appreciated.

What has been your biggest achievement?

The browser extension works nicely, and I am pleased about that. It covers three main areas of support: awareness, overview, and control of fast-paced YouTube content, and it is satisfying to watch the average scene length live updates and automated - it doesn’t take time; it saves time.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Developing mobile apps.

Any advice for beginning entrepreneurs?

Make small steps and very basic MVPs, and listen to feedback to ensure you don’t waste your time and resources and are creating what people actually need.

How do you keep yourself motivated?

I hope I'm doing the right thing by helping parents and their kids avoid apathy, depression, and disinterest. It's important that our kids don't forget the joy of nature, art, social interaction, and other simple pleasures in life. After all, what's the point of technological progress if we lose touch with what truly matters? Our kids have various devices, the internet, and AI--and this is all new for all of us. That's why we must be a little more cautious and mindful of technology's impact on our lives. At least, I feel I must, for my two kids.

What are your plans for the next 6-12 months?

I hope to receive considerable feedback from the users of Kaini so that I can identify their specific needs and make improvements accordingly. My goal is to launch the first paid version of Kaini that includes premium options and covers the unique needs of users within the next 6-12 months.