$170 million FTC fine — the largest children's privacy penalty in history. Google knew viewers were children. It tracked them anyway. It targeted ads at them anyway. YouTube Kids was supposed to be the fix. Researchers found the "safe" app still served inappropriate content and still collected data. The apology app has the same disease as the original. A child opened YouTube Kids and watched Peppa Pig drink bleach. It was a fake video the algorithm recommended. Spider-Man urinating on Elsa. Violent cartoons styled to look like children's content. The "safe" app relies on algorithms that can't tell the difference between real Peppa Pig and nightmare fuel designed to traumatise children.
What they claim: YouTube Kids promoted as a safe, kid-friendly video experience
What we found: The FTC fined Google $170 million in 2019 — the largest COPPA fine in history at the time — for collecting children's personal data through YouTube to target ads without parental consent. Google tracked children across YouTube to build advertising profiles, then served targeted ads to viewers it knew were under 13. YouTube Kids was created as a response, but researchers found the "kid-safe" app still contained inappropriate content and data collection.
What they claim: YouTube Kids promoted as curated, safe content for children
What we found: Researchers found YouTube Kids served disturbing content including fake Peppa Pig videos showing characters drinking bleach, Spider-Man urinating on Elsa, and violent Minecraft animations. The algorithmic recommendation system promoted increasingly extreme content to children. Despite content moderation, the volume of uploads made comprehensive screening impossible.