YouTube is now requiring all creators, regardless of location and whether or not they produce content intended for children, to designate whether their videos are made for kids.
All views of kids-directed videos on YouTube are being treated as if every watcher is an actual child, regardless of the viewer’s real age.
That means it’ll limit the data it collects on those views to the bare minimum — only what’s “needed to support the operation of the service,” YouTube said.
The new rules, while well intended, will certainly hurt monetization, and expose YouTube creators to huge fines if their content is mislabeled.
BACKGROUND:
The Federal Trade Commission recently fined YouTube $170 million for collecting data and targeting ads to children, an alleged violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The fine is relatively small — roughly 1 percent of the service’s annual revenue — but it comes with strict conditions that could spell disaster for the thousands of creators who are making content for children.
As part of the settlement, YouTube must stop collecting data on videos that are targeted toward children (defined by the FTC as anyone under the age of 12).
For anyone making those videos, the changes will be significant.
Features like comments and notifications won’t be available on videos “that have an emphasis on kids characters, themes, toys, or games,” YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said in a blog post responding to the settlement.
It is important to remember: This is not a new YouTube rule, this is the governments decision and they are taking it seriously.
YouTube has also faced scandals involving videos of child abuse and exploitation, nightmarish content in its YouTube Kids app and predatory comments that sexualized clips of young children.
WHO IS AFFECTED?
Kids content is some of the most popular on YouTube as parents look for ways to entertain young children and advertisers seek brand-safe programming on which to market their products.
But YouTube has long maintained that it is not meant for children under 13 and that minors who want to watch the programming YouTube hosts should, instead, use its more curated YouTube Kids app.
YouTubers who create videos for children are now mandated to label their content as being intended for kids.
Subjects appealing to children include: Kids jokes, music, games, computer/video games, TV shows or stars, cartoon characters, kids sports, toys, books, fantasy, arts and crafts, pets, snack foods and cereal.
If the video includes any graphics or words that appeal to children that qualifies too.
Here are the changes when you make a video featuring children’s content:
- The video will have no notifications.
- The video will not be searchable.
- The video will have no comments.
- The video will not be suggested/recommended.
- The video will make 90 percent less revenue.
The above list could be catastrophic for creators.
If channels can’t send notifications for certain videos, fewer people will watch those videos within the first crucial hours.
This could lead to YouTube recommending fewer videos from that creator because people are less engaged.
If videos aren’t recommended as much, it means fewer views, which means less money.
Wojcicki acknowledged that these changes won’t be easy for creators.
These changes “will have a significant business impact on family and kids creators,” she said in the post, adding that “this won’t be easy for some creators and are committed to working with them through this transition.”
GAMERS:
Some YouTubers are issuing dire predictions about the impact of the platform’s new COPPA rules.
“If it doesn’t get more attention you can pretty much expect the end for gaming, animation, and cartoon videos on YouTube,” tweeted Alex Carducci, aka RelaxAlax, who makes gaming videos on his YouTube channel. “Basically Thanos snap YouTube, that’s what’s happening.”
COPPA is serious. If it doesn’t get more attention you can pretty much expect the end for gaming, animation, and cartoon videos on YouTube.
Basically Thanos snap YouTube, that’s whats happening. https://t.co/mLPiwruZUb
— Alax (@RelaxAlax) November 19, 2019
The new rules seem unclear what exactly constitutes content aimed at kids.
This is especially true of gaming videos, which could be considered kid-targeted, or just aimed at a general audience with kids making up a significant portion of the viewers (think Minecraft).
YouTube says that it’s going to deploy machine learning algorithms to help decipher which videos are aimed at kids, but this will likely, in part, only further confuse matters—many of the decisions made by the algorithms will likely be questionable or wrong.
YouTube has responded to creator concerns over policies around gaming videos that include violence.
“We’ve heard loud and clear that our policies need to differentiate between real-world violence and gaming violence,” Wojcicki said. “We have a policy update coming soon that will do just that. The new policy will have fewer restrictions for violence in gaming, but maintain our high bar to protect audiences from real-world violence.”
Creators are advised that YouTube is not responsible for protecting users from legal liability.
“If you need help determining whether or not your content is made for kids, check out this Help Center article or consult legal counsel,” YouTube says.
Many gamers are predicting an exodus from YouTube to other video streaming platforms like Twitch or Mixer.
This topic was recently discussed at YouTube’s Gaming Creator Summit, as well.
WHAT IS THE FTC:
The purpose of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is to enforce the provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce.”
Its principal mission is the promotion of consumer protection and the elimination and prevention of anticompetitive business practices, such as coercive monopoly.
There are five appointed FTC commissioners, with three Republicans and two Democrats.
Joseph Simons, a Republican, is the FTC Chairman.
FTC FINES:
Some may decide to not identify their content as children friendly, but that comes with a huge risk.
Those who get caught can face immediate suspension, and a staggering fine.
“If you fail to set your audience accurately, you may face compliance issues with the FTC or other authorities, and we may take action on your YouTube account,” according to YouTube’s help-center document on the topic.
They will fine creators will face for violation is up to $42,000 per video.
If the FTC does take action against channel owners, it’s likely to be both selective and heavy-handed.
Creators may be wise to get business liability insurance, and an attorney, now.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
READ the new FTC Notice To YouTube Creators
A petition To “Save Family-Friendly Content On YouTube” now has over 630,000 signatures – with a goal of one million.