How can toy and kids brands advertise on YouTube?
Part of YouTube brand safety
The short answer
Toy and kids brands can run contextual ads on YouTube content set as made for kids, but Google prohibits personalized ads, remarketing and third party trackers there, bars categories such as food and beverage and contests, and forbids ads that incite children to buy. The creative must also meet CARU's guidelines in the US and Ad Standards codes in Canada.
Key takeaways
- On made for kids content, Google allows contextual ads based on the video being watched, the current search and general location, and prohibits personalized ads, remarketing and third party trackers.
- Toys are not on Google's barred lists, but food and beverage, contests and sweepstakes, video game skins and loot boxes, and beauty and cosmetics are.
- In Canada, the Code's Clause 12 covers child directed advertising, defined for children under 12; broadcast ads also fall under a separate Broadcast Code, and Quebec prohibits commercial advertising to children under 13.
- A kids brand plan can run as two lists: a contextual made for kids list with child appropriate creative, and a general audience list with creative aimed at parents.
Can toy brands advertise on made for kids videos?
YouTube allows it within limits that change both the targeting and the creative. YouTube's page on ads and made for kids content (opens in a new tab) says contextual ads can be served on YouTube for supervised accounts and on content set as made for kids, based on the content being viewed, the viewer's current search and general location such as city or state. Personalized ads, remarketing and other personalized targeting features are prohibited on that content. Google's advertising policy for made for kids content (opens in a new tab) adds a creative rule a toy brand feels directly: paid ads must not incite children to purchase a product or urge parents or others to buy the item.
| Element | Status on made for kids content | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Contextual signals: the video, the current search, general location | Allowed | YouTube Help 9713557 |
| Personalized ads, remarketing and other personalized targeting | Prohibited | YouTube Help 9713557 |
| Third party trackers or other attempts to collect personal information | Prohibited | YouTube Help 9713557 and Advertising Policies Help 9683742 |
| Ads that incite children to purchase or urge parents to buy | Prohibited | Advertising Policies Help 9683742 |
| Display & Video 360 buys | The policy page says Display & Video 360 users must comply with it | Advertising Policies Help 9683742 |
A toy ad on made for kids content reaches viewers because of what they are watching, never because of who they are, so channel and video choice carries the whole weight of relevance. The guide to made for kids YouTube ads covers the label's wider effects, and the YouTube brand safety guide shows how it fits with account controls.
Which ad categories are barred on made for kids content?
Google publishes the restricted categories in two places. YouTube's page lists media and video games unsuitable for children, dating and relationships, beauty and weight loss, food and beverage, illegal or regulated products, political and religious ads, adult content, dangerous content and violent content. The Advertising Policies page breaks the same ground into narrower items, several of which catch products sold next to toys. The two pages are worded differently, so check both on the day the campaign is built.
| Restricted item (Google's list) | Where a kids brand meets it |
|---|---|
| Food and beverage, regardless of nutritional content | Candy bundled with a toy, a cereal promotion, a snack co-branded with a character |
| Contests and sweepstakes, even if free to enter | A toy giveaway or a collect and win promotion |
| Video game skins and loot boxes | Toy lines tied to a game with unlockable digital items |
| Beauty and cosmetics | Play makeup and nail kits |
| Fight sports, martial arts, first person shooters, battle games | Action figure lines or games built around combat |
| Shocking or scary content | Horror themed collectibles and slime or gross out toys with frightening creative |
| Dangerous content, such as paintball, fireworks and weapons | Foam blasters and launch toys, depending on how they are shown |
| Teen and adult media | Movie or game tie ins rated above a child audience |
What children's advertising codes apply in the US and Canada?
Platform policy decides where an ad may run; advertising codes decide what it may say, and the two countries draw the age line differently. In the US, the COPPA Rule is a privacy rule: it applies to operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13, and to operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13, per the FTC (opens in a new tab). Ad content is left to self regulation.
| Rule | Issuer | Age line | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children's Advertising | BBB National Programs, CARU (US) | Under 13 | National advertising primarily directed to children in any medium, including video, internet and influencer content |
| COPPA Rule | FTC (US) | Under 13 | Collection and use of children's personal information online, not ad creative |
| Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, Clause 12 | Ad Standards (Canada) | Under 12, per Interpretation Guideline 2 | Child directed advertising in any medium the Code covers |
| Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children | Ad Standards (Canada) | Under 12 | Children's advertising on broadcast, with prior approval required, except in Quebec |
| Consumer Protection Act | Office de la protection du consommateur (Quebec) | Under 13 | A prohibition on commercial advertising directed to children |
The CARU guidelines (opens in a new tab) judge whether an ad is primarily directed to children by factors no one of which is controlling, among them subject matter, child oriented animated characters, the age of models and audience composition evidence. In Canada, Clause 12 (opens in a new tab) says advertising directed to children must not exploit their credulity, lack of experience or their sense of loyalty, and Interpretation Guideline 2 (opens in a new tab) ties it to children under the age of 12.
Definition
- Covered Media (CARU)
- CARU defines Covered Media as all forms of media, including television, video, internet, mobile, other digital media, influencer content and the advertiser's own channels and apps.
Which creative checks apply to a toy video ad?
A compliant placement does not rescue a noncompliant ad. CARU's guidelines set specific expectations for demonstrations and disclosures that map closely onto a toy video. The checklist follows CARU's wording; Canadian creative should also be read against Clause 12.
Toy creative checks drawn from CARU's guidelines
- The toy is shown performing in a way children can duplicate, with no speed, sound or color that the product does not have.
- Material disclosures are clear and conspicuous, in simple words such as You have to put it together.
- The ad says when batteries or other essential items are not included, and when accessories or collection pieces are sold separately.
- The ad does not urge children to ask parents to buy, and uses no urgency such as Buy it now.
- Price is not minimized with words such as only, just or bargain price.
- Children shown with the toy are in the age range it is safe for, and activities such as riding or skating show safety equipment.
How should a kids brand plan YouTube channels?
A toy brand needs two audiences: children, who see the product, and parents, who buy it. The two lists run under different rules, so a clear plan keeps them in separate campaigns.
Building a kids brand YouTube plan
- Decide who each creative speaks to. Mark each ad as aimed at children or at parents, using CARU's factors and Ad Standards' market and message test.
- Check the product line against Google's restricted lists. Remove food bundles, contests, game unlocks and play cosmetics from made for kids lists before any channel is chosen.
- Build the made for kids list by content. Choose channels whose videos match the toy's play pattern, since contextual signals are the only relevance a made for kids ad gets.
- Build the parent list separately. Use parenting, family and gift guide channels with general audience labels, where adult creative belongs.
- Set the Quebec position. Decide whether the campaign excludes Quebec or runs a separate version reviewed under Quebec's rule.
- Record the labels and the date. Keep each channel's made for kids status on its row, so a label change can be acted on.
What extra rules apply in Quebec?
The Office de la protection du consommateur (opens in a new tab) states that the Consumer Protection Act prohibits commercial advertising directed to children under 13 years of age, and points to its own guide for judging when an ad is directed at them. The Broadcast Code (opens in a new tab) applies across Canada with the exception of Quebec, whose authority to prohibit broadcast advertising to children has been affirmed.
What does a kids brand plan look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A plush toy maker plans YouTube in Ohio
An unnamed maker of plush animals wants YouTube ads for its spring line in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, in English. One plush comes with a code for a digital pet in a mobile game.
The planner splits the brief. The made for kids list holds pretend play, animal song and craft channels, with a child creative checked against CARU's guidelines: the plush is shown at real size, the voiceover says each animal is sold separately, and no line asks children to tell a parent. The game code stays out, since video game items sit on Google's restricted list.
A second list of parenting and gift guide channels carries a parent creative that mentions the code. The campaign is Ohio only, so Quebec is out of scope; a Canadian extension would need its own review.
How does PlacementGraph keep made for kids status visible in a kids brand plan?
A two list plan only works if each channel's label is known and current. PlacementGraph reads the label rather than guessing it.
Frequently asked questions
Do CARU's guidelines apply to YouTube ads?
They apply to national advertising primarily directed to children under 13 in any medium. CARU's definition of Covered Media names video, internet, mobile and influencer content, so a child directed toy ad on YouTube falls inside it. Product placement in editorial content is outside the scope unless it amounts to an endorsement.
Can a toy brand run a free giveaway on made for kids content?
Google's made for kids advertising policy lists contests and sweepstakes as restricted even if free to enter. A giveaway can still run to parents on general audience channels, where CARU's sweepstakes rules, such as clear odds and a free means of entry, apply if the promotion is directed to children.
Does the Canadian Broadcast Code cover YouTube ads?
Ad Standards describes the Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children as a code for broadcast advertising, defined by reference to the Television Broadcasting Regulations, 1987. Online child directed ads fall under Clause 12 of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, which covers child directed advertising in any medium the Code covers.
Are food rules for kids ads only a platform matter?
Google bars food and beverage ads on made for kids content regardless of nutritional content, and in the US CARU shares oversight of food advertising to children with the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, a pledge program that binds only the companies that commit to it.
Sources
- Ads and made for kids content (opens in a new tab)YouTube Help
- Ads and made for kids content (advertising policy) (opens in a new tab)Google Advertising Policies Help
- Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children's Advertising (opens in a new tab)BBB National Programs, Children's Advertising Review Unit
- Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) (opens in a new tab)US Federal Trade Commission
- The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (opens in a new tab)Ad Standards
- Interpretation Guidelines (opens in a new tab)Ad Standards
- The Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children (opens in a new tab)Ad Standards
- Publicité destinée aux enfants (opens in a new tab)Office de la protection du consommateur, Quebec
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.