Humans have a lot things they can take great pride in, but they cannot escape the fact that, at their core, they are hugely imperfect. Even though we are arguably the smartest species to walk the earth, we do have a tendency to be more wrong about things than right, and in all honesty, that’s exactly we have been able to achieve so much. You see, we allow our experiences to reinforce our knowledge pool. Once that is done, we use this fresh and more valid piece of information to guide us in our pursuit of a certain thing, therefore standing a better chance at succeeding. The said pattern has been apparent in the construction of almost every revolutionary idea we have witnessed throughout the history, and if we are talking about revolutionary ideas, technology has to be a part of the conversation. As unbelievable as it seems at times, technology is largely a result of experiences that were gathered during gazillion failed attempts at creating something of this sort. Now, one can argue on the basis that eventually we were able to remedy all those mistakes and put-together a special invention, but the truth is that didn’t stop our own imperfection from seeping into the creation. These flaws show up time and again across different areas. Some of them more devastating than others, hence to curb their negative impact, the government-backed watchdogs are now finally establishing a level of scrutiny around the tech by-products. The entry of regulators on the tech scenery has already affected many big companies, and by looking at YouTube’s latest decision, it can be said that the popular video platform has no plans to be one of them.
After watching Instagram being put through hell over a research that questioned its impact on the teenagers, YouTube is resorting to a more cautious approach, as the company recently announced a series of changes aimed at providing a healthier experience to the users of YouTube Kids. According to the amendments, YouTube will be defunding any content that is considered to be low quality in nature. The definition of ‘low quality’ here was mainly laid out within the two categories i.e. “heavily commercial or promotional” and content that encourages “negative behavior or attitudes”. In a case where these rules are consistently violated, the creator will be suspended from the YouTube Partner Program. If the violations occur in an individual video, the particular video will straightway lose the right of monetization.
While these changes are significant, it’s not the first time YouTube has taken a step to make its platform more kids-friendly. In 2020, the company banned targeted advertising, comments, and some other selective features for the kids’ content. YouTube also introduced “Supervised Experiences” earlier this year in its bid to vest more control into the parents’ hands over what their child can watch.
