YouTube's plans to limit data collected on children's videos could slam content creators financially, resulting in fewer child-friendly options on the website.
Starting in January, the website will limit data collection, and creators who don't designate if the content they post is targeted toward children could face Federal Trade Commission fines, reports The Wall Street Journal.
In addition, videos that are made for children won't allow items that will drive traffic, such as pop-ups with suggested content or comments, and they won't carry personalized advertising based on Google data.
Creators have flooded the FTC with demands to leave YouTube alone, but the changes are in response to allegations from the agency that the platform tracks children's online activities, a violation of the 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The "identifiers" that had been collected are used to follow viewers online and target them on other websites.
YouTube did not admit it did anything wrong but paid a $170 million fine to settle the case while agreeing on the system to flag videos designed for children.
Jeremy Johnston, whose J House Vlogs channel attracts almost 2 million subscribers, commented that the settlement "in a lot of ways throws creators under the bus."
The videos will still contain contextual ads that are based on a post's content, but creators have been told that they can expect to make less money without targeted ads.
Meanwhile, the FTC is reviewing its rules "to strengthen the rule to make it work better for children and parents," Andrew Smith, director of the agency's bureau of consumer protection, commented. He said he understands concerns on both sides of the issue.
YouTube has said for years that its platform is not to be used by children under the age of 13. It already operates a separate app, YouTube Kids, that does not have personalized ads, but the app is less popular.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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