Since its inception, YouTube has been quite popular in the online world. Now, YouTube has launched a kid-friendly website, youtubekids.com. This website will be quite similar to the YouTube Kids mobile app. Parents will be able to keep a check on their kids and track their history. According to the company, initially, the site won’t have a login option. However, it will be available soon.
The company launched the website this week. This move comes before the FTC settlement that will involve a multi-million dollar fine against the Google-owned video platform for violating the rules. The FTC is looking to announce in the coming few weeks. Earlier this year, the FTC imposed a 5.7 million fine on TikTok and forced the company to make an age-gate. The FTC also fined Vizio $2.2 million in 2017.
The FTC’s YouTube ruling will also include some age-gate. YouTube should design the age-gate to direct the children below 13 years to a safe environment. The website needs to be COPPA-compliant where parent’s consent will be mandatory.
Introducing YouTube Kids is a great move made by Google, before the FTC announcement. The company also announced a new age grouping of kids. Now, it will also include a “Preschool filter” for children younger than 4 years. There would also be a “younger” group for kids from 5 to 7 years and an “older” group for kids over 7 years. Last week, the company also expanded its child safety policy to remove any misleading content. This includes videos that target minors, videos that have obscene, violent or sexual content in them, and videos for a mature audience.
YouTube was in hot waters in 2017 when it hosted many disturbing videos using Algorithms to target children. For example, when children searched Peppa Pig videos, the site showed videos like Peppa Pig drinking bleach. However, these issues have been going on for many years. YouTube recently age-restricted these kinds of videos after public pressure. The company also ended monetization on some videos.
However, the bigger problem with YouTube isn’t that the website is age-inappropriate for kids. The main problem is that it is breaking the law. Organizations like the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) asked the FTC to launch an investigation on the company. They claimed that the company has been gathering data from kids for many years and using it as a marketing strategy.
According to the group, YouTube always makes the excuse that its ‘terms of services’ mention that the site is for children aged 13 years and above. However, the company isn’t doing anything to prevent younger users to enter the site. Data has shown that most younger users use YouTube.
Google is eagerly waiting for the FTC decision. The Washington Post mentions that a deal has been made which includes a multi-million dollar fine. A report from Politico stated that the fine could be more than $200 million. Lastly, Bloomberg states that the company will end targeted ads towards children.
No one knows the kind of content that will be present on the site. YouTube may introduce new content, or just take the kids-friendly content from YouTube.com and put it on YouTube Kids. According to advocacy experts, the latter option is better.
YouTube has been making these big announcements on YouTube’s Help forums, instead of the official YouTube blog. The company also didn’t inform the press, as it did in the pre-announcement of the Kids website and the children’s content policy change.
YouTube says that it wants to make the online world safe for the kids. The company states, “We built YouTube Kids to create a safe environment for kids where they can learn and experience new things. We will keep on updating the app based on the reviews of parents and experts.”
