YouTube cracks down on disturbing videos popping up on kids’ channel

After several lewd videos popped up on YouTube Kids, the company announced it’s beefing up security to protect children from unsuitable content.
 
Soon after the special platform launched in February, a slew of clips featuring cartoon characters, including Peppa Pig and Spiderman, participating in violent and sexual acts appeared.
 
To crack down on the inappropriateness, the company is implementing several new policies.
 
For starters, the app will be tailored to kids’ ages. Once a parent enters their child’s date of birth, YouTube will automatically change the way the site looks. While preschoolers will see less text, older children will have access to more content.
 
It's also updating the parent setup process, so they will have more detailed information that helps them determine which content minors should have access to.
 
Lastly, little ones can create their own profiles that will prompt them to set a secret passcode -- parents will still be able to override it.
 
Additionally, the platform is also relying on parents to help them flag improper videos.
 
“Remember, our systems work hard to filter out more mature content from the app. But no system is perfect,” Balaji Srinivasan, YouTube Kids Engineering Director, said in a statement. “If you find a video that you think should not be in the app, you can block it and flag it for review. This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone.”

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