These changes have been expected for months, but their impact is still unknown.
Company
News : Starting on Monday, YouTube will overhaul its systems
to comply with a landmark privacy ruling, a move that could dent
revenue for the Google video giant and thousands of its creators.
Alphabet
Inc.’s Google
settled with federal regulators in September for violating laws on
collecting data from minors, and YouTube agreed to a series of
changes. Videos designed as “made for kids” would be stripped of
targeted ads, which fetch higher prices, and other valuable features,
such as user comments and live chats.
The
Federal Trade Commission, which fined Google over the Children’s
Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, has given broad directives
about what it considers child-directed video, including clips with
popular animations and kids play with toys. Individual video creators
will face fines for violating COPPA going forward, which has sparked
panic.
“YouTube
now treats personal information from anyone watching children’s
content on the platform as coming from a child, regardless of the age
of the user,” the company wrote in a Monday blog post.
These
changes have been expected for months, but their impact is still
unknown. Google has warned that some video creators could lose a bulk
of their ad sales. The company hasn’t shared its sales or how much
of its massive catalog comes from videos “made for kids.”
“We’re
committed to helping creators navigate this new landscape and to
supporting our ecosystem of family content,” YouTube said.
“We’ll
share more in the coming months.”
In
addition to the restrictions on videos, YouTube will begin placing a
text below “made for kids” videos directing viewers to YouTube
Kids, an app that’s designed for children. The app has a much
smaller audience than the main YouTube service.
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