Child data tracking overview:
- Who: An Adalytics report showed that tech companies, including YouTube, are tracking children’s online activity.
- Why: The tracking activity could violate the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act just four years after Google and YouTube settled a lawsuit for $170 million over allegations from the Federal Trade Commission.
- Where: The child data tracking is allegedly happening across the United States.
A new report alleges that tech companies are still tracking the activities of children online through YouTube videos marked “made for kids.”
YouTube appears to be setting advertising cookies and passing that data along as of June 2023, according to the Adalytics report.
YouTube is then putting adult-oriented advertisements from Fortune 500 companies and major media agencies and brands such Mars, Procter & Gamble, Ford, Colgate-Palmolive, Samsung, and many others on those “made for kids” videos, according to the report.
Some of those large brands found the top YouTube channel clicks and top clickthrough rates came from “made for kids” channels such as “ChuChu TV Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs”, “CoComelon Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs” or “Kids Diana Show” according to the report.
This comes after a $170 million fine in 2019 for YouTube and Google to settle accusations from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over accusations the companies were violating Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting kids’ information without proper parental consent.
YouTube then-CEO Susan Wojcicki said that, going forward, the company “will treat data from anyone watching children’s content on YouTube as coming from a child, regardless of the age of the user.”
Lawmakers ask FTC for urgent investigation to see if YouTube violated consent decree from 2019
Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) wrote to FTC Chair Lina Khan asking for an urgent investigation into whether YouTube is violating the consent decree of its settlement with the FTC from 2019.
“This behavior by YouTube and Google is estimated to have impacted hundreds of thousands, to potentially millions, of children across the United States,” the lawmakers wrote. “As such, YouTube and Google may have violated COPPA – as well as its 2019 FTC consent decree – in an egregious manner.”
Late last month, the FTC released recommendations for children’s entertainment advertising, including highlighting the need to distinguish between advertising and entertainment and avoiding blurred advertising, which crosses the line between the two.
Have you noticed receiving targeted ads after watching YouTube videos for kids? Let us know in the comments.
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16 thoughts onNew report finds tech companies may track children
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Yes! I have 3 kids that love CocoMelon among other things on YTKids. Please add me to the list.
I’ve definitely noticed this. Please add me to the class action.
Absolutely 💯% They target & exploit our kids. We try to protect them and crap like this is a everyday battle to constantly stand beside them to see what is getting thrown at them. We must protect our children. Sometimes they directly throw garbage at them that as a mother we don’t approve of, but the kids think because it’s on a kids page it’s OK to click on it, then what is that page exploiting to them & wanting to send them to & it a never ending cycle until they click on pure trash such as porn. I have seen this happen. We have to limit all screen time because it has to be a shared screen time with an adult. Kids can’t be kids anymore. Thanks for fighting for the children.
Please add me I only allow my child on you tube kids
Absolutely! I have 2 children and this has happened to them. Please add me.