5 ms·

Because clicking a yt ad might land someone on a website with tracking cookies on it? You could say the same thing about Google search or any website with outg

Because clicking a yt ad might land someone on a website with tracking cookies on it? You could say the same thing about Google search or any website with outgoing links for that matter.

Blahah 3y ago
But children who can't type on a keyboard can navigate YouTube with clicks. If you've never seen a 3-4yo child use YouTube it's a revealing experience.
- duringmath 3y ago
  What does that have to do with anything? The article isn't suggesting YouTube tracked children it's suggesting an advertiser's website did. *As with children’s television, it is legal, and commonplace, to run ads, including for adult consumer products like cars or credit cards, on children’s videos. There is no evidence that Google and YouTube violated their 2019 agreement with the F.T.C.*
  - 2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago
    Advertising on children's videos ensures that children are probably the ones clicking those ads- thus YouTube ads lead to tracking children.
    - duringmath 3y ago
      As stated advertising on children's videos is legal and commonplace, so singling out yt is a little weird. The whole situation is a bit of a paradox to be honest.
      - cowsup 3y ago
        The YouTube Kids app does not have any clickable ads[0], so I think the best solution is to bring this same setup to the main app & the website on videos that are marked "For Kids." You can advertise the latest Happy Meal, a new Disney movie, or the latest video game, without letting the user accidentally click a link and begin being tracked. I do agree that singling out YouTube is strange, but it definitely got people to click. [0] https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6130541?hl=en https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6130541?hl=en
        Spooky23 3y ago
        You’ve taken the leap that kids watching YouTube == YouTube kids. That app was, at least when my kid was in that market, a hobbled app with its own significant problems. YouTube’s issue here are all about how they funnel kids to profitable content.
      - makeitdouble 3y ago
        Focusing research on one company (which happen to be the biggest video service in the world) is normal. It would tough to ask researchers to never publish until they've gone though every other service provider first.
      - itsoktocry 3y ago
        >so singling out yt is a little weird What do you mean "singling out"? They're the biggest advertising company in the world.
  - bastawhiz 3y ago
    If your child put a dollar in a soda vending machine at school and the vending machine then took their picture, that would be a similar situation. Arguing that it's not the school's fault your child had their picture taken is silly: the school put the vending machine there. The child didn't know the repercussions and can't make an informed choice. So if YouTube puts a big ad in an app exclusively for kids then how is it not their problem if clicking that ad then tracks the child? Who cares what website does the tracking if YouTube deliberately sends the child from an app meant for children to a website that tracks them.
  - Spooky23 3y ago
    Bullshit. At 3, my kid could navigate to any content he wanted to, typically Spider-Man, Daniel Tiger or some train video in 5-7 clicks. The path would always be clear, but the steps would vary. Click 3 would be one of those gross people who pimp out their kids to making toy opening videos, etc. I would not see the same mix of suggestions when I’d use my account on that device. The journey of recommend content is the key. I could accept that Google didn’t engineer that experience with the intention of targeting my kid. But I don’t find it plausible that they didn’t understand why that pattern monetized so well - YouTube is too good at printing cash. If they didn’t know, they chose not to ask. Correction/Edit: I didn’t realize that google was fined for this behavior in 2019. Presumably it has changed.
- bastawhiz 3y ago
  Almost ten years ago I watched my boss's daughter open YouTube and search for Elmo. She didn't know how to spell Elmo (she didn't know how to spell anything) or which keys were which letters. She had memorized which keys on the iPad keyboard to press. And if she goofed one, Google helpfully corrected it.
JohnFen 3y ago
Yep. We need to find a way to get rid of tracking entirely.

Because clicking a yt ad might land someone on a website with tracking cookies on it? You could say the same thing about Google search or any website with outgoing links for that matter.

Blahah 3y ago

But children who can't type on a keyboard can navigate YouTube with clicks. If you've never seen a 3-4yo child use YouTube it's a revealing experience.

duringmath 3y ago
What does that have to do with anything? The article isn't suggesting YouTube tracked children it's suggesting an advertiser's website did. *As with children’s television, it is legal, and commonplace, to run ads, including for adult consumer products like cars or credit cards, on children’s videos. There is no evidence that Google and YouTube violated their 2019 agreement with the F.T.C.*
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago
  Advertising on children's videos ensures that children are probably the ones clicking those ads- thus YouTube ads lead to tracking children.
  - duringmath 3y ago
    As stated advertising on children's videos is legal and commonplace, so singling out yt is a little weird. The whole situation is a bit of a paradox to be honest.
    - cowsup 3y ago
      The YouTube Kids app does not have any clickable ads[0], so I think the best solution is to bring this same setup to the main app & the website on videos that are marked "For Kids." You can advertise the latest Happy Meal, a new Disney movie, or the latest video game, without letting the user accidentally click a link and begin being tracked. I do agree that singling out YouTube is strange, but it definitely got people to click. [0] https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6130541?hl=en https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6130541?hl=en
      - Spooky23 3y ago
        You’ve taken the leap that kids watching YouTube == YouTube kids. That app was, at least when my kid was in that market, a hobbled app with its own significant problems. YouTube’s issue here are all about how they funnel kids to profitable content.
    - makeitdouble 3y ago
      Focusing research on one company (which happen to be the biggest video service in the world) is normal. It would tough to ask researchers to never publish until they've gone though every other service provider first.
    - itsoktocry 3y ago
      >so singling out yt is a little weird What do you mean "singling out"? They're the biggest advertising company in the world.
- bastawhiz 3y ago
  If your child put a dollar in a soda vending machine at school and the vending machine then took their picture, that would be a similar situation. Arguing that it's not the school's fault your child had their picture taken is silly: the school put the vending machine there. The child didn't know the repercussions and can't make an informed choice. So if YouTube puts a big ad in an app exclusively for kids then how is it not their problem if clicking that ad then tracks the child? Who cares what website does the tracking if YouTube deliberately sends the child from an app meant for children to a website that tracks them.
- Spooky23 3y ago
  Bullshit. At 3, my kid could navigate to any content he wanted to, typically Spider-Man, Daniel Tiger or some train video in 5-7 clicks. The path would always be clear, but the steps would vary. Click 3 would be one of those gross people who pimp out their kids to making toy opening videos, etc. I would not see the same mix of suggestions when I’d use my account on that device. The journey of recommend content is the key. I could accept that Google didn’t engineer that experience with the intention of targeting my kid. But I don’t find it plausible that they didn’t understand why that pattern monetized so well - YouTube is too good at printing cash. If they didn’t know, they chose not to ask. Correction/Edit: I didn’t realize that google was fined for this behavior in 2019. Presumably it has changed.
bastawhiz 3y ago
Almost ten years ago I watched my boss's daughter open YouTube and search for Elmo. She didn't know how to spell Elmo (she didn't know how to spell anything) or which keys were which letters. She had memorized which keys on the iPad keyboard to press. And if she goofed one, Google helpfully corrected it.

JohnFen 3y ago

Yep. We need to find a way to get rid of tracking entirely.