CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In September, YouTube parent company Google was fined $170 million by the Federal Trade Commission. Regulators said YouTube was illegally collecting children’s personal information and using it to profit by targeting them with ads.
Starting in 2020, YouTube is going to enact changes in order to better protect the privacy of children using the website or app.
Among the features that will disappear on kids' videos are comments, live chats, push notifications and the ability to save videos to a playlist. YouTube is also getting rid of targeted ads based on users' search history.
YouTube sent an email to content creators on Monday saying it’s on them to designate their videos as “made for kids” or not. The email also said YouTube has the ability to override a change if abuse or error is detected.
“Responsibility is our number one priority at YouTube, and nothing is more important than protecting kids and their privacy,” the company said on its official blog.
Experts say these changes will make a difference, but parents also share responsibility in their kids’ internet habits.