Consumer Advocates File Update to YouTube Kids App Complaint, Allege Section 5 Violation

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Center for Digital Democracy filed an update to an FTC complaint against Google’s YouTube Kids app Tuesday for false and deceptive marketing, a joint news release said. In April, CCFC and CDD were part of a coalition of children’s and consumer groups that filed a complaint and urged the FTC to investigate whether Google’s YouTube Kids app was unfair and deceptive toward children and parents -- a violation of FTC Act Section 5 (see 1504070045). In subsequent research, CCFC and CDD said they found “even more widespread and pervasive” evidence supporting the original complaint, the groups wrote in a letter to the FTC. “Further review of YouTube Kids demonstrates that the app is rife with videos that would not meet anyone’s definition of ‘family friendly’,” the letter said. “YouTube Kids contains many videos that would not only be disturbing for young children to view, but potentially harmful.” A commission spokesman confirmed the agency received the letter and would review it. “As users of YouTube Kids search for material, the app begins to recommend similar videos,” said CCFC and CDD. When the groups conducted their review of the app, “YouTube Kids actually began recommending videos about wine tasting on its app for preschoolers,” it said. The more children search for inappropriate videos, the more inappropriate videos they will be shown, the letter said. Google had no immediate comment. “Federal law prevents companies from making deceptive claims that mislead consumers," said Aaron Mackey, the coalition’s attorney at Georgetown Law's Institute for Public Representation. Google promised YouTube Kids would deliver appropriate content for children, but it has failed to fulfill its promise, Mackey said. “Google gets an 'F' when it comes to protecting America’s youngest kids,” said CDD Executive Director Jeff Chester. The groups allege they found: explicit sexual language presented amid cartoon animation; a profanity-laced parody of the film Casino featuring Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie; graphic adult discussions about family violence, pornography and child suicide; jokes about pedophilia and drug use; unsafe behaviors such as playing with lit matches; and advertising alcohol products. As of May 11, at least 13 Budweiser commercials were available on YouTube Kids, the letter said. Given the “inadequacies of the screening process and the constant addition of new videos to YouTube Kids, it would be virtually impossible for anyone to catalog all of the inappropriate content that is accessible on the app,” it said. “In the rush to expand its advertising empire to preschoolers, Google has made promises about the content on YouTube Kids that it is incapable of keeping,” said CCFC Associate Director Josh Golin.