'Family friendly' ads for the app will undergo a rigorous review process, Google says

YouTube Kids logo

Google says its new YouTube app for kids is its first product "built from the ground up with little ones in mind," and it appears to have taken careful steps not to ignite a furor by sacrificing children's' privacy for its business interests.

YouTube Kids was released Monday in the U.S. in the Google Play store and Apple's App Store. It has privacy-preserving features but also displays ads, which Google says will be "family friendly."

Ads in nearly a dozen categories are prohibited including beauty and fitness, food and beverages, and politics, Google says. And it says the ads won't collect data about those who view or engage with them, or track them elsewhere on the web.

The app is focused on content Google thinks will be best for pre-teens, organized into four categories: shows, music, learning and "explore." On Monday, there were clips from Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine, PBS, and a "Baby Mozart" channel with cutesy versions of the composer's music.

Some observers said Google is handling the privacy aspects well.

"With no way to register personal information or even to upload videos directly, and with only kid-friendly advertising, YouTube Kids should provide a privacy-safe experience for kids," said Jules Polonetsky, executive director and co-chair of the Future for Privacy Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

YouTube Kids collects only anonymous identifiers to support internal operations such as spam and abuse prevention, and ad frequency capping, Google says in its documentation.

The app does not collect, use or disclose personal information connected to a Google account, it says. It's therefore compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), Google says, which governs how Web companies can mine personal information of children under 13.

Read this article:

YouTube Kids has 'no minefields for parents,' group says