Featured Image Credit: YouTube/candyfamily
Topics: News, TV and Film, Entertainment, Parenting
Lucy Devine
Topics: News, TV and Film, Entertainment, Parenting
Parents are being warned about a series of 'dark' Peppa Pig videos circulating online.
The cartoon, which follows the day-to-day lives of Peppa and her family, has been one of the most popular kids' shows on telly since its creation in 2004 and has over 40 million subscribers on the official YouTube channel.
However, there are some channels on the platform that seem to be sharing versions of the cartoon that are completely unsuitable for kids.
According to The Mirror, which conducted a search into these videos, one video called 'MLG Peppa Pig (PARODY)', which has since been removed from the platform, shows a cartoon holding a gun and has been viewed 18 million times.
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Meanwhile, another called 'Peppa does Drugs' allegedly shows the cartoon animal snorting cocaine.
In a statement to The Mirror, a YouTube spokesperson said: "We've removed both videos from YouTube and terminated a channel for violating our child safety policies, which we rigorously enforce. Neither of the videos shared by The Mirror have ever appeared in the YouTube Kids app, our recommended experience for younger viewers.
"Our teams remain vigilant, and will continue to take further actions as needed."
It's not the first time these types of videos have been reported by users.
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In 2017, the BBC investigated videos featured on the platform, which portrayed popular characters, like Peppa and Mickey Mouse, in incredibly disturbing situations.
One dad from Cornwall said he thought his son was watching Peppa Pig when his partner heard some of the language being used in the clip.
He told MailOnline in 2017: "My partner went to the kitchen when she heard the language and turned it off immediately. Some of them have Peppa Pig getting killed. It's happening to Bob the Builder and Paw Patrol.
"We had to warn the nursery that he had seen this in case he repeated something."
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Calling it 'traumatising', he added that there 'should be more control on the internet'. At the time, YouTube told the BBC in a statement: "We take feedback very seriously. We appreciate people drawing problematic content to our attention, and make it easy for anyone to flag a video.
"Flagged videos are manually reviewed 24/7 and any videos that don't belong in the app are removed within hours. For parents who want a more restricted experience, we recommend that they turn off the Search feature in the app."
They also recommended parents use the YouTube Kids app with 'restricted mode' turned on which limits flagged content, however, they further cautioned that 'no filter is 100% accurate'.
LADbible has reached out to Hasbro and YouTube for comment.