YouTube channel owners: Is your content directed to children?

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The FTC action against YouTube and Google


A COPPA recap




How COPPA applies to channel owners


How channel owners can determine if their content is directed to children



  • the subject matter,
  • visual content,
  • the kind of music or other audio content,
  • the age of models,
  • language or other characteristics of the site,





What are the possible penalties for violating COPPA?


Isn’t the FTC taking another look at the COPPA Rule?


Where can channel owners go for more information?




This is pure idiotic. You want the cartoon creators & channel owners to dumb down kids shows. And make the kids become dumb?

This whole thing will literally KILL youtube, or at least most of the youtube community. this is bad. please don't let this pass. for the gaming community on youtube, this is bad. people will lose their jobs and go bankrupt. we're begging you, don't do this to youtube.

Probably will not end YouTube

I’m not gonna fuss but I totally think YouTube is gonna affect the people using it

Hello, I am a content creator from canada and im completely unsure if this affects me. If it does I cant afford a 42k fine, but I also cant afford to have my revenue cut in half.

Please change this, thanks.

Stop COPPA please is gaming videos like (PUBG, COD) is directed to children



If YouTube splits their platform in 3 may help with the compliance issue?
Let me explain:
YouTube for Kids may only display content that is market by their creators as for kids, still should not have any comment section or anything that can be used for tracking information and kids would not be able to access adult oriented content on this platform.
In the other hand, we may include the regular YouTube platform where kids under the age of 13 will not be allowed to navigate.
The content here will be upload by medium and small channels and their content creators need to mark their uploads as not child oriented.
The videos marked as Child Oriented will not be displayed here even if the user enters the specific channel name or video name as it will be only displayed on the Kids Platform.
And finally the YouTube Premium platform will contain all big channels with high audience for adult oriented content with the same search restrictions as the Regular platform.

By doing this We all can Acomplish with the following:

1-Youtube and Content Creators will be in compliance with Coppa as the content for Kids Will be Allocated in a separated platform exclusively for them with all necessary restrictions and the creators can get their revenew by the views not by ads.

2-Content Creators can continue to do their job with no fear of penalties because their videos will be stored an a different the appropriated platform that they have chosen to upload to.

I appreciate the space to submit this comment, hope it helps to Acomplish with the law and to keep sustainable business for content creators.

From Costa Rica

Kids under 13 are already not supposed to be on youtube. Issue is there's no feasible way to enforce it.

If you think you can violate my Eighth Amendment right and impose an unjust fine of $42,530 against me. Well I guess I have every right to sue the FTC for millions of dollars and go to the Supreme Court about this issue.

How would this apply to gaming video's?
Let's say I uploaded a Mario video but there's cursing and other image's that kid's shouldn't be looking at, how would that video be judged?
Whould I have to put something on screen at the beginning of the video saying that this video is not for kids?

Agreed, they need to come out and tell GAMING Youtubers what we can and can't do on Youtube, stuff like Pokemon and Mario have huge adult followings, and it sucks for us.

I Think This Will Just End Up Hurting Children. Without Child Content, What Are They Gonna Watch? Inappropriate Stuff, For Sure.

but they have youtube kids. it's really the parents' problem what their child is watching anyway.

KIDS BEFORE 2020: "Look! there's safe videos on YT! They're cool!"
KIDS OPENING YOUTUBE IN 2020: "Where's my fav gaming youtubers???" *click some videos that look great* "AGE RESTRICTION, 18+ ONLY!"
KIDS: "Mom, YT has no kids vids...All friendly youtubers is quitting."
MOM: "Open YT Kids."
YT Kids: literally empty...

Yes, all my videos included for children’s

So 18+ anime has "cartoon characters" right? Whats the deal on that?

I believe with the certainty of children online security and I'm not against it at all but this rule/law is doing more harm than good. What I mean is, this not only the guidelines are vague and very confusing as if its not well thought out but also its going against our rights and this is being taking to far and not being looked at logically and planed out like a group or a government entity should be doing so. This is unfair because not only you are limiting the content creators freedom and the pursuit of happiness which she or he has the unalienable rights to have because of the first amendment but you are basically going against everyone and not doing the research of the serious damages you guys are going to make in which you are taking the jobs and careers that people that sacrificed their lives to make a living off of and in comparison of how the reviewer or staff who reads this that sacrificed their time to get into the FTC so they can pursue their dream. I know you guys are doing your jobs and protecting us and I love of you guys do and I highly respect you guys but please (and I really mean this) make the youtube guidrlines more fair and more specific because as I mentioned they're vague and they seem very daunting because it seems like you guys are trying to kill off youtube and fine everyone just for money grabbing purposes and no one likes that look. I personally don't this to be a bad thing but from the looks of it, it is and its sad. I hope you have a wonderful month and let's hope this turns out to be a good thing instead of people getting fined out of thin air.

This is not good for you to because this will harm the YouTubers and then YouTube will fail

The way the current rules seem to work is that any channel that has animation is at risk for becoming penalized from this system, whether they intend for their content to be viewed by children or not. Same can be said to any channel that periodically deals with child like content but deal with other aspects of them. A change to allow already animated content on the platform go through a separate inspection to see whether or not they are intended for child content or not I believe should be added to ensure that these channels are not wrongly accused of child marketing.

I would like to watch things without having to go to a child version of YouTube . Also alot of people will leave

If I mark all my videos on my channel as 'Not Intended for Children' could I be fined if my content is appropriate for children? Appropriate definition: Playing an all-ages video game, not cursing or using foul language, teaching a skill (craft or DIY), or talking about characters that are in PG movies?

If you want to fairly enforce the law, put pressure on YouTube to properly verify that channels and content marked as "for children" actually is for children and is not improperly monetized. If a video or channel is improperly marked as "for children", investigate and determine whether the content creator or YouTube gave it that label. Content creators will work in good faith to stay compliant. YouTube will not.

This helps a bit but do we immediately get the fine or do we get a few warnings first?

This is wrong we shouldnt take away from youtube creators just because it "might" have a kid watching. I understand that we need to protect our kids but is wrapping them up in bubble wrap and taking Youtube and videos on there really the way to do it?So to the ftc find a differnt way to do this.Instead of making it harder for youtube creators to make videos,make it harder for kids to watch them.For example if someone really wants to watch youtube make them make an account then maybe make them wait a week for youtube to check if there really above the age of 13.

They already did it, they even recommend to put an age check before entering a site, but Youtube didn't implemented it, Youtube just screwed things up not the FTC.

How do you determine if someone is under 13? That’s impossible to do on the internet. Yes, this may be hurting a lot of people, but I’m on both sides saying that this law plays a part in society, but also needs to be redefined.

What About Gaming Channels?

Slight complaint, I read video games, animation, bright colors are listed, and I have read "for everyone", but here's the thing.
I don't know who got the idea that these things are only aimed at kids.
There's adult animations, adult video games, and bright colors can be for everyone, not just kids!
Not all animations or games need to be "adult" related, many games are rated Teen, teen is not for kids. You need to stop being vague, and separate the two. I visited multiple sources and you'll be surprised that there's a few million people who already got word and they're fed up.
I came here to be reasonable, not looking for trouble. However this situation is too vague and it's limiting content creators far too much to the point that every single content creator that I know, is acting more assertive, showing more adult theme nudity in their content just to avoid this situation which they shouldn't even have to! What you're doing, is wrong, this is limiting content freedom, people's art, and their voices. What happened to freedom of speech? Why do they need to force themselves like this, their content was never intended for children/kids to begin with. Get your heads out of the gutter. Thank you for your time.

This is exactly what I'm thinking.
Animation can appeal to everyone.
What if it has curse words or adult themes such as abuse, alcohol, addiction, murder etc?
Bright colours can be used in anything.
The entire FTC is a boomer.

My channel is for 14+ but my videos could be mistaken for children content as it is a video game
This would not affect me would it

I have a channel that is for Acrylic pouring and is meant for adults. There are a lot of these channels and we use ingredients in our work that are toxic. Because it is art many of us do not know how to answer that question. Can you please help. Google Acrylic Pouring and you can see.

Hello,I Would like to ask why you did these?And yes i know it for Childrens Privacy but there are Small Channels Out there...
It would Be Better if you could just make Kids Use Youtube Kids and Remove the inappropriate Videos that Youtube kids Has.
Thank you for Reading,i will be Waiting for a Response.

You are going to ruin so many lives and I need you to do this 1 thing please just if a child is found just put them into YouTube kids

My main thing is can you specify gaming conternt? Like Serb rated games that are rated e for everyone or where is the cutoff line. It just said gaming content which I feel is to vague and under that you might argue games rated t. Also can you guys rule on loot boxes being gambling. It’s underage gambling for minors if you’re so worried about children worry about underage gambling.

Dear FTC, In your last article, you did not mention gaming and did not specify if it was child directed or not. Gaming in the XXI. century is part of our culture, and for instance Minecraft is a huge cultural piece, not only made for kids, however, Minecraft channel owners are affraid that you may consider their channels kids oriented due to the game and family friendly language. Please, clarify the situation of gaming content in the context of COPPA.

To me this is very sad. All my favorite YouTubers are going to be gone. Please don't do this. They are real people with real dreams.They all could end up on the streets. If a YouTuber has been making family friendly content for years and they have thousands of family friendly videos, they will quite possibly get bankrupt. Please don't do this. I know these YouTubers, they are good people who don't belong one the street. Please think about these human beings. Please. None of them had any idea this was even a rule. And now they are getting punished. They had no idea. This is not the creators faults. You are a government agency, can't you do something that doesn't end up with thousands of people ending up bankrupt. They are not fish in a barrel, they are humans, with feelings. Please don't think about them like that. That made me pretty upset. This is in no way a hate comment. It's just that my favorite YouTubers, these people who have got me through some tough times. They've gotten people through depression. They have faced so much. They've created fan bases. They work hard on there videos. You may have not have known this, but they've been threw a lot. Controversy. Demonetization. Copy right strikes. This is the kind of thing they have to deal with. And these human beings, reduced to fish. Fish. Not to mention how vague the rules are. i don't know if you realize this, but games aren't just for children. Minecraft, roblox, fortnite. Will all the gamers be gone. Just because there are little characters not only children enjoy it. Most Youtubers channels aren't directed to kids. They are for everyone. It's not their fault that some kids will stumble upon their video and enjoy them. They have no control over kids watching there videos. Obviously some kids will stumble upon there video because of the algorithm, but it is not the Youtubers fault. Animators. Will all animation videos get demonetized. Just because there are animations it doesn't mean it's for kids. Like family guy. But obviously kids will stumble upon it and like it. On Youtube there are videos that are obviously for kids. Like the singing the abc's or toy unboxings. This is what is obvious. But games. Because they have characters that could be appealing for kids. But adults like them too. Like Pokemon. It's a game that looks appealing for children, but lots of adults enjoy it too. Minecraft, and Roblox. The rules are just so vague. Will a video get demonetized become some kids just manage to find the video and enjoy it even though it is clearly for people who are above 13. Will they get demonetized. I just don't get it honestly. Just please. Think about this. Think about the real people who work very hard on there videos. Please just don't do it. This is not right. Please.

I know, and we can't watch what we love and the government f tc will just pretend it is just a safe change but we shouldn't pay for this

What happens when someone just uploads their Disney Vacation? Does that mean that parent has to be worried about being in violation of COPPA? What happens to content creators that do videos based on Disney or other kid friendly content and they can't get the ad revenue? I hope that the FTC takes things like this into consideration before bankrupting families that just want to share their time on vacation. Is it getting to the point of making DVDs again and mailing them to family and friends? I hope my comments and questions are closely looked at. I'd hate to see content taken off the internet because of this law. Thank you.

I am aiming for a adult teenager audience our humor is OK I wouldn’t say anything offensive I wouldn’t show acts of breaking the law Or anything else like that or anything else like that I just play games talk about things post Memes and draw that’s it nothing else maybe now and then I will react to something but that’s Harley happens

Please help me how to choose

Yes FTC my question for you is how should you know if something is directed to children under 13 would you go the very obvious route and see if the content -creator/uploader has admitted it and or has it in a title (for kids or kids videos).Have you taken into account that we no longer have computers from 1998 in are houses anymore but more advanced computers in are phone while it way easier for a child to remember a parents email address I can understand that I've done it when I was a child but I dont think the child (under 13) will find out there address just to get on youtube and so can you really blame it on youtube for trying to advertise something based on what your watching because it not very hard.for example if I said my favorite food was pizza your first thought would be they liked this so I'll give the this but with a little more for them to try.
youtube has an option to put I'm not interested it's like Amazon or anything other website with games or videos on it would you sue google for children under 13 having phones and searching up Jake Paul and then news about Jake paul coming up when they open it again you can attempt this yourself in you need to show the head you just get a phone that's never been used and search up one thing open a page about it then exit out of the page and make a new one and news will come up on the thing you searched up so what is going to stop a kid from doing the same also every website sets ads from info about you google collects info from you and then uses it to direct ads to you whenever it feels it needs to.

Please change your policy because it's not the responsibility of the creators to look for children, it's their parents responsibility.

Oh my god thank you. Someone who knows logic here.

My content is made of for every one adult and for kids

Yeah you guys do realize that while some cartoons are for kids, anime which based on what I'm reading you consider a cartoon isn't even close to being aimed at children. Examples would be One Piece, Hellsing, Goblin Slayer. While alot of kids play games are you going to conaider those channels who make videos of them play any of the call of duty games which aren't rated for children but an extreme amount of kids under 13 play it. Just saying based on what im seeing the rules are far to vague.

Content creators on youtube don’t have any methods of collecting information because google controls the platform that allows us to upload videos

To whom it may concern;
I would like to bring to light a possible oversight concerning a creator’s content being the issue: someone under the age of 13 is capable of viewing more mature content on various social media platforms. It is incredibly easy for a child to falsify their age when signing up for most platforms by either, 1) when prompted to give an age, simply inputting an older age, or 2) when asked to give a birthdate, inputting a year that would make the user appear older than they are to the platform.
Also, an adult is capable of signing into their personal account and then handing the device, now authorized with the parent’s credentials, to their child. Therefore, if a specific piece of content is not considered child friendly, and is in fact not, it would still be possible for that underage user to access the media, all while being subject to data tracking and the acquisition of other personal data, simply because the platform believes the user to be older than they are. Content creators can play by the rules as much as possible, marking videos, or even entire channels as “intended for children.” However, if a child ever desires to view more adult-oriented content, the process would be quite easy due to this loophole in a platforms’ Terms of Service and their sign-up process when creating a profile.
Ultimately, it is the parents’ responsibilities to monitor what their children visit and/or view when online, since they would know for absolute certainty the age of the child using those online services, and be able to consent to the child’s access of such services.
Thank you for your time,
Kyle Seifert


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