Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has launched its ‘Youtube Kids’ App through its Play Store in February. They originally designed this app to provide kids friendly contents like videos from teachers, filmmakers, etc. But some of the contents in this app has displeased many consumers, which resulted in many consumer advocates filing complaints against Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL). CNBC’s Kate Rogers reported on the criticisms that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s YouTube Kids App is facing at the moment.
The consumer advocates has filed a complaint with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) citing that the contents in Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s YouTube Kids app is not appropriate for kids. They accuse that the app is targeting kids with unfair and deceptive advertisements. The complaint also states that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has blurred the line between entertainment and outright commercials.
“The YouTube Kids Mobile app is under fire from a host of consumer advocates. Complaints to the Federal Trade Commission says that Google owned app targets young viewers with unfair and deceptive ads that detractors said blurred the lines between entertainment and outright commercials. One example is the 7-minute video featuring characters from Disney’s Frozen movie, […] inside McDonalds eating icecream and drinking Sprite. The bottom line, the family focused content offered by YouTube Kids may not be exactly as promised,” Rogers reported.
A ‘USA Today’ Article discusses more about the issue.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has originally intended to make this app more appropriate for kids and claimed that they have a separate teams to filter the videos and make sure that all the contents in the app are child-friendly. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) also introduced a timer for parents to restrict the kids time on the app.
Amidst all this, how can the long advertisement pop up and spoil it for the kids? Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has also made it available for kids in both android and iOS based devices. The consumer advocates claim that as Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) claimed there is nothing child-friendly when a long advertisement pops out of the app.
There are no guidelines set for the advertisement time in the apps that were targeted at the kids by Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL). There were set guidelines for television advertisements length, but that doesn’t apply to online contents or contents on mobile devices.
Federal Communications Commission sets up these guidelines for television, but who will set up these guidelines for contents over the air through internet on mobile devices. The consumer advocates are pleading FTC to step in and device some guidelines for the same.
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