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Sideprojects
Genuinely interesting educational content, but it's built for adults and doesn't pretend otherwise.
Best for ages 12+
Sideprojects is a history and science channel with a breezy, conversational tone. The host clearly enjoys this stuff and that comes through. Videos tend to be list-based, packed with trivia, and move at a comfortable pace without dumbing things down. It's the kind of channel a curious adult puts on while folding laundry.
Score Breakdown
KidWatch Assessment
Sideprojects is a history and science channel with a breezy, conversational tone. The host clearly enjoys this stuff and that comes through. Videos tend to be list-based, packed with trivia, and move at a comfortable pace without dumbing things down. It's the kind of channel a curious adult puts on while folding laundry.
The content itself is pretty clean. There's no shock-value gore or anything truly objectionable. But the host does make casual jokes about death and crime, and he actively promotes his true crime podcast, which covers serial killers and violent crimes. That cross-promotion pops up early in some videos and isn't shy about it.
Sponsorship reads are woven into the videos naturally, which is fine but worth knowing. The channel treats its audience like adults, which means younger or more sensitive kids aren't really the intended viewer. Curious tweens and teens would probably get a lot out of it though.
Flagged Moments from Top Videos
The host opens by plugging his true crime podcast and describes its content as covering serial killers and violent deaths, then jokes that death is hilarious. It's brief and lighthearted in intent, but it's still a cold open about murder aimed at young or sensitive viewers.
The casual criminalist podcast promotion references a UK doctor who was the worst serial killer in history and a socialite who allegedly killed her best friend with a car. These aren't elaborated on, but the framing is casual and the topics are heavy.
A mid-video sponsor read runs fairly long and is delivered in the same conversational tone as the content, making it easy for younger viewers to not recognize it as advertising.
The host jokes about 2.5 million ants fighting each person in hand-to-hand combat. It's clearly comedic, but the casual framing of mass violent scenarios might land oddly with very young kids.
What Parents Should Know
Preview the first minute or two of any video since the host sometimes opens with true crime podcast promotions that mention serial killers or violent deaths before the educational content starts.
Watch with older kids as a jumping-off point for deeper conversations, since the channel scratches the surface of a lot of topics and encourages curiosity without going deep.
Skip this channel for kids under 10 or those who are sensitive to casual references to death, crime, or dark history.
Talk to your teen about how sponsored content works, since the ad reads blend naturally into the host's normal style and aren't always clearly marked as ads.
If your kid enjoys this channel, the content itself is genuinely well-researched and a good gateway to history and science, so it's worth encouraging alongside more in-depth sources.
Recommended for ages 12+.
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