Google's You Tube Kids app is all set for an update post the complaint with the FTC by the child right's groups and parents. (Photo : Twitter)
Google is developing an update for their YouTube Kids app that is anticipated to address the content concerns raised by the children's rights organizations and parents. The news of the update came after the parents and the consumer groups reported to the FTC about the inappropriate contents on the app.
According to the PC Magazine, Google will embed two new features which includes Just For Parents, which helps adults set up a customized password while they learn how the app works. Parents will also be able to set a threshold for the app helping them either to turn on the search to view only family-friendly videos or turn the app off to limit the views to only appropriate videos.
"When parents open YouTube Kids, we'll explain upfront how our systems choose and recommend content and how to flag video," YouTube's director of product management Shimrit Ben-Yair said in a statement posted on You Tube's official blog.He added that in either case, it is the parents who eventually control the suitable involvement of their family.
The YouTube Kids app which was released in February for the iOS and the Android platforms was celebrated as a Safer and Easier option by Google compared to their key video-sharing app. The app was launched with features like, parental control, voice search and simple icons easily identifiable by younger kids.
However, it was later apparent that the app came with full of advertisements which were inappropriate for children and hence a complaint was registered in April with the Federal Trade Commission.
According to Ben-Yair, while the new app comes with many additional features that help parents control what their children watch, he also said that no system is flawless. He further said that it is entirely on the parents to supervise their children's viewing habits on YouTube Kids and accordingly flag or restrict any inappropriate content.
