Photo by Szabo Viktor on Unsplash
Starting January 1, 2020, all YouTube channels must begin complying with new guidelines for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), changing the setting of their videos or entire channel to either “made for kids” or “not made for kids.”
Many businesses use YouTube as a promotional tool and additional source of revenue, so it’s important to make sure that you flag your videos or channel appropriately to reflect the new guidelines.
When deciding on whether your channel, website or app is made or not made for kids, consider the following:
- Are children 13 and younger the primary audience?
- Does your content include child actors, preschool entertainment, or songs and games targeted to children?
If not, your channel is not likely “made for children,” even though it may be appropriate for children. For example, cooking videos, how-to videos, etc., that do not include profanity or other inappropriate subject matter would still be labeled “not for children.”
If you flag your videos as “made for children,” several features will become unavailable on your YouTube channel:
- Collected data will be limited
- Some features like comments will not be available
- Personalized ads will not be available, so your ad revenue may decrease
- Info cards and end screens will not be available
- Channels won’t have stories, the community tab, notification bell, or “save to watch later” or “save to playlist” options.
Please note that COPPA applies to all YouTube channels, regardless of your location. YouTube recommends consulting a lawyer before making any major changes to your channel, especially if you have a lot of revenue at stake. Please call our attorneys for a consultation at (951) 300-2690.
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