Google unveils significant safety changes for kids on Search and Youtube

Google unveiled a few adjustments to several of its most popular services to protect kids. There are a variety of policies and procedures in place to keep kids safe, according to Google.  

Family Link, for example, allows parents to set up monitored accounts for their children. At the same time, it has released mobile apps, which have been created especially for children, such as Youtube Kids. However, there is always room for improvement, which is why Google is making several changes to accounts for users under the age of 18.

One of the most significant changes concerns young creators aged 13 to 17 on Youtube, as the default upload setting is changing to the most private option available. That means by default, the video can only be seen by select users unless the creator changes it to public. Autoplay will also be disabled by default, so the next video won’t start playing automatically.

In terms of search, Google emphasizes that for users under the age of 13, SafeSearch is already enabled by default.

Here are a few additional changes coming to Google services in the following months:

• New default protections are coming to Google Assistant to prevent mature content from surfacing.
• Globally, users under the age of 18 will not be able to turn on Location History on their accounts.
• Google is adding a new safety section on Google Play (see: Apple’s App Tracking Transparency).
• K-12 institutions will have SafeSearch technology enabled by default.
• Google will block ad targeting based on the age, gender, or interests of people under 18.
• New Digital Wellbeing filters will let people block news, podcasts, and websites on smart devices.

‘’While some of these updates directly address upcoming regulations, we’ve gone beyond what’s required by law to protect teens on Google and YouTube. Many of these changes also extend beyond any single current or upcoming regulation. We’re looking at ways to develop consistent product experiences and user controls for kids and teens globally’’, a Google spokesperson said.