Targeted Ads Will Now Be Restricted from Running on Kids’ Videos on YouTube

To comply with federal children’s privacy law Youtube has made some major changes to kid-focused channels, that will see a significant business impact due to reduced ad revenue. Targeted ads will now be restricted from running on kids’ videos, and kids’ videos will lose access to comments and some other community features.

YouTube told creators back in September that they’ll soon be required to “designate their content as made for kids or not made for kids.” The changes come as part of a $170 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Anyone watching a video that’s been designated as made for children will now be seen as a viewer under the age of 13 years old, regardless of how old the user actually is.