The first child protection complain ever made against Big Tech under UK Law.
A Computing article reports that a British man has made the first ever complaint against You Tube under the Children's code, a 2021 law that requires companies to take the best interests of child users into account.
The Children's Code, more formally known as the Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC), bans or limits features specifically includes user profiling and location tracking, as well as use of nudge techniques that encourage users to provide more data.
YouTube's terms of service state users should be at least 13 years old. However, the complaint quotes Ofcom data showing that children use the platform heavily, without parental oversight. It was the most popular site for children aged 3-17 in 2021, while the dedicated YouTube Kids app was used much less frequently.
The full article by Tom Allen can be read here
The news has also be reported by the BBC here
More information about the children's code:
The UK's independent data authority, the Information Commissioner's Office, introduced the Age Appropriate Design Code in September 2020, allowing companies a year to comply.
Without regulation the way in which social-media and gaming platforms and video- and music-streaming sites use and share children's personal data could cause physical, emotional and financial harm, it said.
It had concerns around:
- privacy
- inappropriate advertising
- tactics to keep children online for long periods of time, such as auto-playing another video on a website after one has finished
The code is unrelated to but has lots in common with the draft Online Safety Bill.
The ICO details the Children's Code:
https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/the-children-s-code-what-is-it/
Further articles about the Children's Code:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-58396004