Google has come under fire again for its YouTube Kids app, this time for offering more serious unsuitable content to children. The Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC) and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) have complained to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about content on the video streaming service that the organizations deem unsuitable for viewing, including expletives, pedophilia references, and other mature content.
Launched in February, YouTube Kids is meant to provide a way for very young viewers to watch content on the service without seeing anything mature or inappropriate. The app interface is restricted compared to the standard YouTube app, making it simpler to access appropriate material quickly while simultaneously preventing anyone from viewing harmful content. While it does have a search function, users cannot type in mature language, with results expected to also receive some filtering to exclude mature listings.
The Wall Street Journal reports the group discovered content that is “extremely disturbing and/or potentially harmful for young children to view.” A video accompanying the FTC letter showcases some of the items the groups found in the app, including a well-known song from Family Guy about FCC censorship, beer advertising, presentations about suicide and child abuse, various drug references, and a dramatization of a window being broken as part of an attempted robbery.
“Google promised parents that YouTube Kids would deliver appropriate content for children, but it has failed to fulfill its promise,” advised Aaron Mackey, attorney for the groups. A Google spokesperson told the report “We work to make the videos in YouTube Kids as family-friendly as possible, and take feedback very seriously.” The FTC has confirmed the agency is now reviewing the complaints, but could not disclose details of any investigation into the case.
This is not the only complaint the FTC has received over YouTube Kids. Last month, the CDD, CFCC, and a number of other child-interest groups claimed Google is breaking laws designed to restrict advertising to children, as it is claimed some videos about toys and other items have “undisclosed relationships with product manufacturers” against FTC endorsement guidelines.
