KidWatch › Channel Safety › ExploringWithJosh
ExploringWithJosh
Cool concept for older kids, but the casual trespassing, occasional swearing, and drinking references make this one you'll want to preview before handing to a younger child.
Best for ages 14+
ExploringWithJosh is an urban exploration channel where the host and various friends wander through decaying buildings, abandoned hospitals, old schools, and other forgotten spaces. The production quality is pretty loose and vlog-style, which gives it a genuine, unscripted feel. Josh is likable and enthusiastic, and there's a real sense of curiosity driving the content.
Score Breakdown
KidWatch Assessment
ExploringWithJosh is an urban exploration channel where the host and various friends wander through decaying buildings, abandoned hospitals, old schools, and other forgotten spaces. The production quality is pretty loose and vlog-style, which gives it a genuine, unscripted feel. Josh is likable and enthusiastic, and there's a real sense of curiosity driving the content.
The problem is the channel normalizes trespassing as just part of the hobby. There's rarely any acknowledgment that entering these places without permission is illegal or dangerous. The physical risks are real too: crumbling ceilings, mold, asbestos, and dark tunnels are all treated as fun obstacles rather than genuine hazards.
The tone is mostly clean but not entirely. Occasional profanity slips through, and in at least one video Josh casually references a night of heavy drinking with zero self-awareness. Nothing is gratuitous, but it's not a squeaky-clean channel either. Teens who are into history and forgotten places will probably enjoy it. Younger kids need a parent watching alongside them.
Flagged Moments from Top Videos
Josh casually describes a night of heavy drinking at a public event, telling his audience he 'barely drinks' but made an exception and that it was wild. He frames it as relatable and fun with zero concern about who's watching.
The video opens with Josh and friends meeting strangers they don't know and joking nervously about whether they'll be killed. The humor is self-aware, but the situation being described, getting into a car with unknown people to trespass together, is modeled as a casual adventure.
Josh and his companion crawl through a narrow tunnel to access a building, with no discussion of permission or the legality of entering. Trespassing into a structurally compromised building is presented as just part of the fun.
Several uncensored profanities are dropped casually during the exploration, blended naturally into conversation in a way that's easy to miss but definitely present.
The group enters what appears to be a functioning-utilities building without any indication of permission, and the tone throughout encourages viewers to see this kind of access as exciting and desirable.
After being denied entry by a guard, Josh jokes that bribing people sometimes works and frames the rejection as just bad luck rather than a legitimate boundary. The attitude toward rules and access is consistently dismissive.
Josh mentions the building contains lead, asbestos, and mercury, but this is treated as background trivia rather than a reason for serious caution. He then proceeds to explore without much safety discussion beyond a passing remark.
What Parents Should Know
Watch a few videos with your kid before letting them binge this independently, just to get a feel for the tone and how casually the rule-breaking is presented.
Use the trespassing moments as a conversation starter about why abandoned buildings are off-limits, because the channel definitely won't do that for you.
Skip this one entirely for kids under 12 or 13. The content isn't graphic, but the lifestyle modeling around drinking and rule-bending isn't aimed at young children.
Check whether your kid idolizes Josh's access-first attitude, some kids pick up on the 'just find a way in' mentality more than parents expect.
If your teen is genuinely interested in abandoned places and urban history, pair this channel with content that covers the legal and historical side of preservation so they're getting a fuller picture.
Be aware that some video titles are written to sound much more dramatic than the content actually is, which is pretty standard YouTube clickbait, but worth knowing so you're not alarmed by the thumbnails.
Recommended for ages 14+.
Is your child watching ExploringWithJosh?
See exactly what your child watches, every week.
KidWatch monitors your child's actual YouTube watch history and sends you a private weekly safety report. No blocking. No spying. Just awareness.
Start monitoring free →No credit card required · Privacy-first · Cancel anytime