YouTube has announced a new requirement to designate each video uploaded to YouTube as “Made for Kids” or “Not Made for Kids”. This is an important update that will impact every YouTube channel. Continue reading for the full details.
In order to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), YouTube is now requiring all videos to be marked as “Made for Kids” or “Not Made for Kids”. This will be required for each new video uploaded to YouTube, but can also be set at a channel-level via a new Audience setting available in the new YouTube Studio Beta.
If no content on your channel has been or will be made for kids, we recommend designating your entire channel as "not made for kids" to avoid having to do it for each individual video. Perhaps more importantly, this will ensure that you won't have any disruption in the monetization of your videos due to COPPA requirements. This can be done by going to your channel settings in YouTube Studio, clicking the Channel tab, then going to Advanced settings. There you will be able to choose your audience at the channel level. If your channel never publishes content created for children, just select the option next to "No, set this channel as not made for kids." This setting will now apply to all of your previously uploaded videos as well as future uploaded videos on your YouTube channel.
There are a few important points to keep in mind about these updates. First, and most importantly, videos and channels that are made for kids may experience a decrease in earnings in the near future. Videos categorized as made for kids will not receive personalized ads, they won't have comments on them, and other features such as notifications, info cards, and end screens may be restricted from those videos. If your content is in fact not made for kids, it’s important to indicate that in your channel settings to avoid experiencing any of these issues.
YouTube will still be using machine learning algorithms to monitor for any abuse or incorrect labeling of videos, so it's important not to be dishonest if you do have videos that are made for kids. We recommend reviewing your content carefully if you do have videos that's intended for kids to ensure you properly designate all of your content.
If you are unsure if your content is made for kids or not, YouTube has some factors they recommend considering, including:
-The subject matter of the video
-If children are the intended audience
-If it includes child actors or models
-If it includes characters, celebrities or toys that appeal to children
-If it uses language that is meant to communicate to children
-If it includes activities that appeal to children
-If it includes songs, stories or poems that appeal to children
For more information on this update, as well as more information on COPPA, you can check out this video from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JzXiSkoFKw. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions regarding this update.
