POLICY
POLICY
POLICY
YouTube introduces strict new policies on content for kids
Google LLC-owned YouTube warned creators Monday that its recent change in policy regarding children’s content will have a “significant impact.”
In September, YouTube settled with the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General to the tune of $170 million after the company was accused of unlawfully collecting data on kids under age 13. YouTube said it would make changes, and now it has.
From now on, targeted ads will be restricted from appearing on content for children, and that content won’t have comments boxes and certain other features such as the notification bell and saved playlists. That will limit data collection on those videos. It doesn’t matter how old the person is who watches the video; if the content is deemed for children, the viewer will be treated as a child.
As for what is kids’ content, YouTube said that should be obvious to the creators. If it features children’s games, toys or certain characters that children enjoy, it is children’s content. YouTube introduced an audience setting late last year, but if that’s abused, machine learning technology will flag the content. Creators can appeal if they feel their content has incorrectly been designated.
The significant impact will be that some creators may lose a lot of money in ad sales, and some creators might still be unsure as to the fine line that sometimes exists between content for kids and for older teens. “Minecraft” content is a good example, since it’s huge on YouTube. Some creators have already spoken out, saying they are unsure if their content is for children only.
“We’re committed to helping creators navigate this new landscape and to supporting our ecosystem of family content,” YouTube said in a blog post. The company didn’t say how much of an impact the move will have, but said in the coming months more information will be shared.
YouTube also said parents should direct children under 13 to the YouTube Kids app, although for many children around that age the main service is where they’ll likely go. If that happens, YouTube said, under content designated for children it will place some text that tries to direct children to the kids’ app.
Photo: Miika Silfverberg/Flickr
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