YouTube Enhancing Safety Measures for Child Users, Introducing New Features by Google
Revised Article:
Hey there! Here's a lowdown on the latest digital privacy moves from Google and YouTube—let's dive in!
After Instagram made waves with its new privacy settings to combat creeps, Google hopped on the bandwagon, announcing a flurry of updated privacy options geared towards minors across its services such as Google Search, YouTube, YouTube Kids, Google Assistant, and more.
In a major shift, YouTube is all set to modify its default privacy settings for users between 13 and 17 years old. Over time, users will automatically be set to the most private option, meaning that their content will only be viewable by themselves and those they authorize. "We want to help young users make informed decisions about their online footprint and digital privacy," James Beser, YouTube's director of product management, wrote in a recent blog post.
YouTube also introduced an array of wellbeing features in 2018, like 'take a break' and bedtime reminders. These features will now become default settings for users aged 13 to 17, although users can disable them if they wish. For younger users, there will be significant improvements to YouTube Kids, including an adjustable autoplay function that parents can toggle on or off at their discretion. This will help eliminate questionable content that might pop up on youngsters' screens.
Besser explained, "Whether you're road-tripping with your kids or cooking dinner with nursery rhymes playing in the background, we want to ensure that parents have the flexibility to choose an autoplay setting that's suitable for their family." YouTube Kids will also get a facelift in terms of commercial content, cracking down on videos that solely focus on product packaging or encouraging children to spend money.
These privacy tweaks come two years after Google and YouTube were fined up to $200 million by the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General for violating children's privacy law by collecting data on younger viewers without parental consent, hoping to serve them ads.
Although detailed updates on search results for Google services like Google Search, YouTube, YouTube Kids, and Google Assistant are scarce, search results do showcase Google's broader stance on child safety and privacy issues. The company has proposed a legislative framework aimed at protecting minors online, expressed concerns about laws that require app stores to share age data with developers without proper consent, and supports the banning of personalized advertising to minors, aligning with its existing practices. Nevertheless, for precise changes in these services, it's essential to consult Google's official announcements or policy updates directly. Keep your fingers crossed for a safer cyber-world for our kids!
- The youngest users on YouTube will experience significant improvements to YouTube Kids, with adjustable autoplay functions and stricter controls over commercial content.
- James Beser, YouTube's director of product management, stated that these changes aim to help young users make informed decisions about their online footprint and digital privacy.
- In the future, technology giants like Google and YouTube are focusing on implementing privacy tweaks to ensure better protection for children and their online data.
- The break from past practices came two years ago when Google and YouTube were fined for violating children's privacy laws, serving ads to younger viewers without parental consent.
