Roger Fingas
Consumer and child advocacy groups, such as the Center for Digital Democracy, today asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Google's YouTube Kids app violates rules for children's programming.
The app — available for iOS and Android — curates YouTube channels and videos considered appropriate for children. The groups petitioning the FTC, however, argue that Google is deliberately targeting advertising at children in a violation of rules conceived to govern kids' TV programming, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
The regulations were put in place in the wake of 1970s research showing that younger children had trouble rejecting advertising, or even understanding that they're being influenced. In 2004, the American Psychological Association reiterated a similar position.
Google uses targeted advertising in both YouTube Kids and the regular version of YouTube to eliminate subscription fees, but some of the ads feature toys or entertainment aimed at children. Kids also includes channels that are actually branded ones for products like Lego or My Little Pony, which means that in some cases a child may be watching a stream that's effectively one long product promotion.
The FTC complaint also casts doubt on the inclusion of unboxing videos. Unofficial unboxing videos are commonplace on YouTube, but it's claimed that the owners of the unboxing channels in the app are undisclosed, and are effectively toy ads.
A YouTube spokesperson told the Mercury News that Google "consulted with numerous partners and child advocacy and privacy groups" while developing the app, but that it's "open to feedback" on how it could make improvements.
Other groups calling for an investigation include Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Children Now, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Consumer Watchdog, Corporate Accountability International, and Public Citizen.
Marko Zivkovic
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Andrew O'Hara
18 Comments
Absolutely the proper thing to do too. If Google is going to offer the app then they should make sure the developers/content providers are actually following their rules and not turning a blind eye to it. Kids are much more easily influenced and fooled and putting advertising rules in place if they have no intention of enforcing them is wrong. Nip this early.
Tough to see how you can make an advertising-supported kids TV channel without advertising to kids.
How do kids TV channels do it in the US?
[quote name="Crowley" url="/t/185640/advocacy-groups-ask-ftc-to-investigate-youtube-kids-app-for-targeting-children-with-ads#post_2705806"]Tough to see how you can make an advertising-supported kids TV channel without advertising to kids. How do kids TV channels do it in the US? [/quote] Some channels do show ads. Many shows for the really young ones are on public broadcast stations that run off viewer contributions, and run ad free. Google makes way more than enough money to omit ads from this programming.
[quote name="Gatorguy" url="/t/185640/advocacy-groups-ask-ftc-to-investigate-youtube-kids-app-for-targeting-children-with-ads#post_2705773"]Absolutely the proper thing to do too. If Google is going to offer the app then they should make sure the developers/content providers are actually following their rules and not turning a blind eye to it. Kids are much more easily influenced and fooled and putting advertising rules in place if they have no intention of enforcing them is wrong. Nip this early.[/quote] How exactly is Google violating any rules here? They are offering a free service, which incidentally is not broadcast, the app must be downloaded, and this free app and content must be paid for somehow... Seems to me that weak parenting is at work here. If a parent doesn't like the app, delete it. No one is being forced to use this. I'm beginning to think this bizarre "entitlement mentality" that is so pervasive is an actual virus that has infected our population.