Remember the good 'ole days when we sent DVDs and VHS tapes to friends and family we wanted to share a video with?

For college recruiting, many high school student-athletes went through this same time-consuming and expensive process. In the old days, a star basketball player might send 50 tapes to different college basketball coaches around the country in order to get exposure and hopefully receive a college scholarship.

Oh how times have changed.

In a few short years, the practice of snail-mailing DVDs has been revolutionized by YouTube and other video-sharing Web sites. Now potential student-athletes can simply post their videos on YouTube and minutes later, anyone with an Internet connection can see them.

It is unquestionable that this YouTube age makes everybody's life easier. With a simple YouTube URL, coaches can see their prospective recruit in action. The student-athlete doesn't have to worry about the time and expense to send the tape or DVD, not to mention having to wonder if the coach actually received it.

The athlete can see how many people viewed his or her video and coaches can subscribe to the athlete's videos and receive updates anytime a new video is posted.

The whole process has become convenient, but there is a significant downside. YouTube doesn't discriminate by age, which means young athletes -- some as young as elementary school -- and their parents can post videos and send clips to interested coaches.

A recent New York Times article highlights several kids, some as young as six, who are being noticed by colleges and professional athletes as a result of their YouTube videos. UCLA has sent an "interest" letter to an 11-year-old basketball and track phenom, although the school can't officially recruit him until he is in high school.

Kids face enough challenges. Do they really need the pressure of competing for a college scholarship before they even take the SAT? Shouldn't we let kids be kids?

Maybe this trend can be traced back to the television coverage the Little League World Series receives each summer. The event has become so popular in recent years maybe we've become accustomed to the practice of watching 11 and 12-year-olds like they are professional athletes. The line for acceptable media coverage seems to be creeping younger and younger.