The changes, which include limitations on data collection and advertising, are a step towards addressing concerns from advocacy groups who complained the video service has breached the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which forbids tracking and targeting users aged 13 and under.
As part of the changes to the site, YouTube said it will seek to better distinguish which content is intended primarily for children, relying on a combination of self-identification from creators and software. Furthermore, under the new rules that the video-sharing platform has introduced, such content cannot run with personalised advertisements.
YouTube added it will assume any viewer of child-friendly content is underage, treating that data as subject to COPPA rules. It has also limited other features, such as comments on children’s videos and live chats.
The notification bell, save to playlist and save to watch features have also disappeared when watching...