Google and YouTube update their child safety features; Under-18s to be aggressively protected
Google and Online Child abuse
Google unveiled a set of measures Tuesday to keep children safe online, including a way for teens to upload videos in a private setting and a safeguard for ads shown to minors.
YouTube video platform, as well as Google's search and Google Assistant service, will be affected by the new features, announced amid increased concerns about child exploitation and online safety.
"As kids and teens spend more time online, parents, educators, child safety and privacy experts, and policy makers are rightly concerned about how to keep them safe," explains Mindy Brooks, product and user experience director at Google.
"We engage with these groups regularly, and share these concerns."
Now, Google's "safe search" setting, which excludes sensitive content, will be enabled by default for under-18s.
In yet another measure to ensure kids' safety, Google will disable location history for its users under 18 globally, without adding the option to bring it back. Both of these were already in place for those under 13.
Google has also announced thaton its massively popular platform YouTube, content from 13- to 17-year-olds will now be private by default.
In a blog post James Beser, head of product management for YouTube Kids and Family, says that "With private uploads, content can only be seen by the user and whomever they choose,"
"We want to help younger users make informed decisions about their online footprint and digital privacy... If the user would like to make their content public, they can change the default upload visibility setting and we'll provide reminders indicating who can see their video."
The company will also make it easier for families to request that the images of their children are not included in image search results.
"Of course, removing an image from search doesn't remove it from the web, but we believe this change will help give young people more control of their images online," Brooks said.
Google will also make changes to how it displays advertisements to minors, blocking any "age-sensitive" categories and prohibiting the targeting of people under the age of 18 based on their gender, age, and interests.
(With inputs from agencies)