A House subcommittee is investigating YouTube Kids. The panel says the Google-owned video service feeds children inappropriate material in “a wasteland of vapid, consumerist content” so it can serve them ads. In a letter sent Tuesday to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, the House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on economic and consumer policy says YouTube isn’t doing enough to protect kids from material that could harm them.
Youtube in hot water over inappropriate content
It says YouTube relies on artificial intelligence and creators’ self-regulation to decide what videos make it on to the platform.
“YouTube Kids, serves an audience of children, but it appears to be serving up inappropriate, low-education, highly commercial content. I believe that may be ascribable to the advertisement-based business model and reliance on free uploads of user-generated videos without adequate quality control,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi. “YouTube profits from this disservice of children with more paid ads and more corporate revenue.”
The subcommittee is calling on YouTube to provide information on how it vets content by April 20.
Youtube hosts all sorts of demonic and sexualized content. But one area where they are serious about cracking down is conservative voices.
YouTube suspended Trump’s official channel on Jan. 12 from uploading new content for at least a week, at the time citing the potential for violence following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump was right. Again. #ExposeCNN pic.twitter.com/gzZoww0EWu
— Jeffrey Marty (@Jeffrey_Marty) April 14, 2021
Big Tech bans Trump while hosting sexual and violent content
“In light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, the Donald J. Trump channel will remain suspended,” YouTube said in a statement. “Our teams are staying vigilant and closely monitoring for any new developments.”
The suspension prevents the uploading of new videos or livestreams to the channel. Comments on the channel, which has nearly 2.8 million subscribers, are also disabled indefinitely.
Before YouTube suspended Trump’s channel, Facebook and Instagram, along with Twitter and Snap had already blocked Trump in the aftermath of the Capitol riot. Facebook blocked Trump indefinitely from the platforms with CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying at the time, “We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great.”
