COPPA, and what it means to YOU.
There are lots of videos on Youtube at the moment surrounding the FTC’s COPPA legislation (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) which is sweeping over Youtube, coming into effect as of 1st January, 2020, and what it means for channels who create content not necessarily created for kids but watched by kids anyway.
What do children play? Video games. Games like The Sims, Jurassic World Evolution, Minecraft, etc - all of which also have an extensive adult audience as well.
Here’s the kicker; any video that is marked as child content loses 90% of its ad revenue because ads on those videos can no longer be targeted. They are also unsearchable, cannot be added to watch lists, comments are disabled, there are restrictions on elements within the videos themselves, etc.
If you are creator of any sort of content that could be watched by kids - well... you’re screwed both ways. You have the option of designating your channel’s audience as adult or child friendly as a whole, or you can tag specific videos either-or. There is no grey area for mixed content and this is the problem. The FTC gave Youtube THREE options which included this General Audience option. Youtube has refused to acknowledge that third option and in doing so, have thrown content creators (the very people who make them money) under the bus called COPPA.
Most Sims content on Youtube could be deemed directed towards children for obvious reasons; it’s bright and colourful, it’s a fairly gentle game (for those of us who don’t run the adult mods), most content creators are bright and bubbly and appeal to children. Under current ruling, these factors alone are enough to have you in trouble if you’ve marked your videos for adult audiences and the FTC decides that no, your audience is children under 13 years of age. The possible fines per video found in violation of these regulations are huge.
Why I am I posting this? Because I LOVE watching Sims videos. I love watching many gaming channels, not to mention crafting/art channels, doll customisation channels, backyard science channels, etc, (no, I don’t have a life) but under the current legislation, those videos are “for children”. I’m forty-fucking-one years old in 7 days.
That being said, the icing on this shit-filled cake is that Youtube has given the FTC unmitigated access to it’s creator database and the ability to fine any creator who has posted a video marked as adult content which THEY (the FTC) deem directed at children. Because there is no grey-area for mixed audience content according to Youtube. Again, the FTC recognises the mixed audience category (that lovely grey area which I fall into) but Youtube is not willing to implement any age gates to protect creators and their audiences.
Please watch these videos, particularly if you enjoy content that will fall under the FTC’s outdated definition of childrens’ content, or if you’re a content creator yourself. Please pass this onto the gamers you know who make Sims content on Youtube and might be trying to rely on revenue from ads and subscribers of that content. EVERYONE who uses Youtube as a platform for income or entertainment will be affected. (If the following videos sound too much like hyperbole to you, Hoeg Law on Youtube has in-depth videos on the issue in their Virtual Legality series.)
