Weeks after Instagram introduced increased protections for minors (under 18) using its app, Google is doing the same for its services, including Google Search, YouTube, YouTube Kids, Google Assistant, and others. Also, the company announced a series of product and policy changes that will allow young people to be more private and secure online and others that will limit the targeting of ads.
In Google’s case, the changes are even broader than those announced by Instagram, as they are spread across a range of Google products rather than being limited to a single app.
It also said it would be shutting down its “Location History” feature, which tracks location data for minor people worldwide. Instead, it will further expand the types of age-sensitive ad categories that are blocked for users up to 18 years of age and transform SafeSearch filters for users up to that age.
Google Introduced a New Policy for Under 18
Yes, Google is introducing a new policy for all people under the age of 18 and their parents or guardians. Several online platforms have long been under scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers over their websites’ impact on the privacy, safety, and wellbeing of younger users.
Mindy Brooks, Google’s general manager for children and families, said, “Some countries are enforcing regulations in this area, and as we comply with all these regulations, we’re looking at methods to deliver consistent product experiences and user controls for teens and kids globally.”
The online platform’s attitude toward young consumers has hit the headlines in recent months as U.S. lawmakers and attorneys general slammed Facebook Inc’s plans to create a kids-focused version of Instagram. In addition, note that Facebook recently announced changes to its ad targeting feature for under 18s, though its advertisers can still target these younger users based on age, gender or location.
The company also changes YouTube, Search, Google Assistant, Google Play Store, and location history on your Google Account. In addition, it will set the default upload setting for videos on YouTube for users aged 13-17 to private and will “prominently surface” digital wellbeing features, which request users to cut their screen time.
YouTube will also have “safeguards and education” regarding commercial content, and Google will be turning off the autoplay feature for children. This algorithm allows YouTube videos to continue moving from one video to another based on recommendations. Children under 18 will also be reminded to take breaks and sleep when they spend time on YouTube.
SafeSearch will be turned on by default for users under the age of 18 in Google Search, as long as they are signed in to their Google Account. This feature filters out specific content that may appear when searching for particular items. It will also be applied to Google Assistant and Google Workspace accounts for K-12 institutions.
Google will stop allowing children under 18 to turn on Location History on their devices as long as they are signed into their Google account. It allows parents to link a child’s account under their own account, giving them a level of control over their child’s online activity. However, the company doesn’t allow children with such accounts to turn on Location History, a feature that allows Google to track nearly every place you visit for advertising purposes.
Topping off to Google apps is a new security section that Google announced recently. It is similar to Apple’s App Transparency Protocol and requires app developers to disclose what types of user data they are accessing and using.
Like Facebook, Google also limits the type of advertising activities that can be performed using data from children’s accounts. The company said it would block targeting ads based on the age, gender, or interests of people under the age of 18, in a slightly different way to Facebook, which only allows age, sex, and location data to be used for advertisers targeting children on its platform. The blog post said that these changes would be coming in the “upcoming months.”
James Besser, the site’s director of product management for children and families, says YouTube is also removing “overly commercial content” from its YouTube Kids app that focuses solely on product packaging or directly encourages children to spend money.
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