The application was a huge success since it was released on February, as more than 8 million people downloaded it.
Parents will be able to closely monitor their children’s activity on YouTube due to a new feature on YouTubeKids.
It seems that this application was a huge success since it was released on February, as more than 8 million people downloaded it. However, it received a lot of criticism from the Federal Trade Commission with respect to the search option on the channel.
YouTubeKids organized the search in different sections, such as Music, Shows, Explore and Learning. Nevertheless, the search gave children the possibility to access some videos which were not necessarily part of the above mentioned sections. This feature could be disabled by parents, but most of them don’t know about the existence of this option.
In a post, YouTube claimed that the new updates will bring an explanation for parents to know how the videos are chosen and how they can protect their children from inappropriate content. Also, the app will give parents the possibility to establish how much time their kids can spend on the channel. In addition, among the just-for-parents options, there is a customized passcode.
Nevertheless, YouTube reminded parents that every system has its drawbacks, so they should get involved in the improving process by reporting videos that appear on the service and are not appropriate for kids. Also, they stated that this active involvement would be good not only for the parent and his kid, but also for all users.
In addition, YouTube makes it possible for videos to be seen on larger screens by being accessed on consoles, Apple TVs, and Smart TVs.
What poses a threat for kids are videos about sex, drugs, alcohol and those containing violence.
The service’s shortcomings represent a consequence of the fact that YouTube tries to rapidly expand itself. Each minute, the service uploads videos of hundred- hour length. Using algorithmic filtering, YouTube tries to eliminate harmful damages, but this doesn’t work all the time and children can access them.
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