YouTube Will Reportedly Turn Off Targeted Ads on Kids' Videos

After a gauntlet of bad press about the creepy kids’ programming on their platform, as well as some trouble with the FTC for their data collection policies regarding minors, YouTube is reportedly planning to end targeted ads on videos that are aimed at kids.

Bloomberg reported on the plan, which is still in the works and could change. The background:

In April 2018, a slew of consumer groups complained to the FTC that YouTube regularly collected information about minors to use in targeted advertising. Once the FTC picked up the case, these groups suggested that the agency force YouTube to move all kids’ videos to its designated app for children, YouTube Kids. Joseph Simons, the FTC chairman, has floated another idea. He asked the complainants in a July 1 call whether they would be content with YouTube disabling ads on these videos, Bloomberg News reported earlier.

Basically, the plan is a compromise that would be a hit to YouTube’s revenue stream, but less of a hit than they might be facing otherwise: “Getting rid of targeted ads on children’s content could hit Google’s bottom line — but this solution would be far less expensive than other potential remedies that aim to placate regulators.” What’s not clear, Bloomberg added, is how YouTube would determine what counts as a kids’ video.

They’d be wise to get their house in order before Disney launches their streaming platform and gobbles up all those little eyeballs, anyway.