Earlier this month, a report said that YouTube planned to release a non-algorithmic version, included in the whitelist of its YouTube Kids app in the near future. Today, Google confirmed this and announced new parental controls for YouTube Kids. These new controls may restrict YouTube Kids from only displaying manually selected videos instead of those curated by algorithms, as reported by TechCrunch .
Now, when parents deactivate the search in a child's profile, a new option for "approved content only" can be turned on. "This means that a parent can turn off the search and also limit the recommended videos to those who have been approved by people.
There are also additional ways to customize within the "only approved content" section. Parents can choose from collections of videos created by YouTube and brands such as Sesame Workshop and PBS Kids.These collections are categorized by categories. such as "arts, crafts, and DIY," "games," and "learning." Nothing is pre-selected, so parents will have to consciously choose which content they want to add. TechCrunch says that a next version of YouTube Kids will allow even more granular control, allowing parents to approve individual videos or channels.
Expansion of YouTu parental control be Kids comes after several controversies. Last month, a report by Business Insider showed how the YouTube Kids app suggested children watch videos of conspiracy theory that claim that the Earth is flat, or that the moon landing was false. In 2017, the company was criticized by "Elsagate", where the videos with strange and often problematic content used characters and recognizable Disney superheroes to fool the YouTube Kids algorithm.
YouTube has made numerous efforts to reduce children's exposure to inappropriate content. He undertook to hire another 10,000 people to address the problems of moderation, and said he would no longer allow creators to monetize videos that "made inappropriate use." of familiar characters ".
YouTube Kids' new whitelist option comes this week, with additional granular controls over the course of this year.