Youtube Kids: Lights and Shadows

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Youtube Kids

Youtube Kids

Because the periods of publication, we had not had the opportunity to talk about this application, Youtube Kids, launched in Spain three weeks ago, so we will try to amend it in this post.

In principle, Youtube Kids is a great idea. Youtube adapt to the needs of small in a society that demands both specific products for children makes all the sense in the world. But while it is a risk: the protection of minors can play against the video platform.

Hence the title of the post. To what extent Youtube owners have done their homework properly and to what extent can we trust an application that we will leave to our children?

Youtube Kids: Lights.

  1. Selection of content: the fact leverage the millions of hours of video available via Youtube to elaborate algorithm (subsequently revised manual FOMA) itself a selection of content suitable for minors is a great success. Allows parents delegate, confident that their children will sail a series of videos especially suitable for age (plus the app has two different ages for parents to choose the best fit).
  2. Initial configuration: the initial configuration is performed by the adult app, so you can control the parameters of use of children.
  3. Search: among other configurations enable or disable the content search and, if fitted, the function itself prevents pursue those searches that are deemed inappropriate.
  4. App: Youtube Kids is available for mobile, tablets, game consoles, Smart TV and Chrome Cast, but not for PC. Motives? Because it is designed for children who can use touch screens without keyboards. A child of only two years is able to navigate a touch screen without any problem: choosing videos, identify that interest them, change clip when they feel like … In fact, on this basis, Youtube has a particularly visual design, adapted to the capacities of children, ranging from its logo to how to identify the contents, so that the child can easily find what you want.

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Youtube Kids: Shadows.

Advertising: the problem has come for the business model. Minors and marketing revenues COCKTAIL is a difficult balance and Youtube has met the first demands arising from this issue.

Although, from the platform insistent that advertising on YouTube Kids is adapted to minors, the fact is that certain advertising practices that occur in the channel are at the limit of what is permissible. For example, when a video of purely advertising content is part of the catalog of videos suitable for children, eliminating or so blurring the line between programming and advertising, which in conventional TV is completely prohibited. Or when McDonalds has a series of videos on their products.

Does it violate this limits? Faced with facts like this, parents rely on the application can?

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It is not a minor problem. While Youtube Kids guarantees that children are not going to find videos of violent or pornographic content, does not ensure that advertising is displayed will meet the same levels of protection than conventional TV, which is disturbing .

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Devendra Singh

Director, Content Strategy at Digital Marketing Trends. I develop, evaluate, and improve the company's content strategies. Providing a big online presence for SMEs and StartUps.