What does the made for kids label change for YouTube ads?
Part of YouTube brand safety
The short answer
On a YouTube channel or video set as made for kids, only contextual ads can run. Personalized ads, remarketing and third party trackers are prohibited, several ad categories are barred, and features such as comments and notifications switch off. The label follows COPPA, the US rule on children's personal information online.
Key takeaways
- Creators set the audience for a whole channel or video by video, and YouTube can override the setting when its systems detect an error or abuse.
- The YouTube Data API returns the current made for kids status to anyone, while the creator's own declaration is returned only to requests the channel owner authorized.
- Content set as made for kids, the YouTube Kids app and signed in teen viewers each follow a different set of ad rules.
- Quebec's Consumer Protection Act separately prohibits commercial advertising directed at persons under 13, whatever a channel's YouTube label says.
Who decides that a YouTube channel or video is made for kids?
The creator decides first. YouTube's audience setting help page (opens in a new tab) requires every creator to set an audience, either once for the whole channel or one video at a time, and says that settings for individual videos override the channel setting. A channel set as not made for kids can therefore still hold individual videos that are made for kids, and the reverse.
YouTube's systems check the creator's choice. When they detect an error or abuse, the video is marked Set to Made for Kids and the creator can no longer change the setting, only appeal it, once per video. A creator who never set an audience can still change the setting YouTube applied in most cases.
| Source of the status | Who sets it | What a buyer can read |
|---|---|---|
| Channel audience setting | The creator; applies to existing and future videos | The channel's status.madeForKids field in the API |
| Video audience setting | The creator; overrides the channel setting for that video | The video's status.madeForKids field |
| YouTube's own determination | YouTube, after detecting an error or abuse; one appeal per video | The same madeForKids field, which holds the current status |
| Creator's self declaration | The creator, through YouTube Studio or the API | status.selfDeclaredMadeForKids, returned only when the channel owner authorized the request |
The videos resource (opens in a new tab) in the YouTube Data API says madeForKids holds the video's current status, which might be determined from the creator's own declaration; the channels resource (opens in a new tab) has the same pair of fields. Public data shows the status that applies now, not what the creator first claimed.
How does the FTC decide whether content is directed to children?
COPPA imposes certain requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13 years of age, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13 years of age.
The rule's definitions section, 16 CFR 312.2 (opens in a new tab), lists what the Commission considers when deciding whether a service, or a portion of one, is directed to children. Since the amended rule took effect, the audience evidence explicitly includes marketing plans, reviews and the ages of users on similar services.
| Factor group | What the rule names |
|---|---|
| Content | Subject matter, visual content, language or other characteristics |
| People and characters | Animated characters, age of models, child celebrities or celebrities who appeal to children |
| Activities and audio | Child oriented activities and incentives, music or other audio content |
| Advertising | Whether advertising promoting or appearing on the service is directed to children |
| Audience evidence | Competent and reliable empirical evidence on audience composition, marketing or promotional materials or plans, representations to consumers or third parties, reviews, and the age of users on similar services |
Definition
- Mixed audience website or online service
- In the COPPA Rule, a service that meets the directed to children factors but does not target children as its primary audience, and that collects no personal information before it determines, in a neutral way, whether a visitor is a child, except for limited purposes the rule lists.
The FTC's 2019 guidance for YouTube channel owners (opens in a new tab) says COPPA applies to a channel in the same way it would if the channel owner had its own website or app, and that content isn't considered directed to children just because some children may see it. Where a given channel falls is a question for its owner and their counsel.
What switches off on a made for kids video, and what can still run?
YouTube restricts many features on videos and live streams set as made for kids, including autoplay on home, cards and end screens, comments, live chat, merchandise and ticketing, the notification bell, the miniplayer, saving to a playlist and personalized advertising. For an advertiser the context around the ad changes: no comment section, no end screen, no merchandise shelf under the video.
Ads still run, contextually. YouTube's page on ads and made for kids content (opens in a new tab) says viewers may see a bumper before and after a video ad, which alerts them when an advertisement is starting and ending. Its barred categories go further than the familiar ones: media such as movies and shows that are sensitive to show to users under 13, video games and related accessories whose industry rating would not suit audiences under 13, illegal or regulated products and products that may pose safety risks for children, adult content, dangerous content, and violent or graphic content intended for adults. Google's ad protections policy (opens in a new tab) also prohibits ads that incite children to buy a product and misleading or deceptive claims.
Before a campaign is allowed onto made for kids inventory
- The product is outside every barred category, including media and video games rated above under 13 audiences and the accessories sold with them.
- No version of the creative urges a child to buy, or to ask a parent to buy.
- The campaign relies on content and context, with no remarketing list, customer list or other personalized targeting expected to apply.
- No third party tracking pixels or tags are attached to the ads that may serve there.
Made for kids content, YouTube Kids and teen viewers: which ad rules apply where?
Three situations need to be kept apart. Content set as made for kids sits on the main YouTube service, the YouTube Kids app has its own paid ads policy, and teen viewers are protected by Google's rules based on the viewer, whatever the content. A plan that mentions children should say which one it covers.
| Situation | What triggers the rules | Main ad rules |
|---|---|---|
| Content set as made for kids on YouTube | The creator's audience setting or YouTube's determination | Contextual ads only; personalized ads, remarketing and third party trackers prohibited; barred categories; bumpers may appear around ads |
| The YouTube Kids app | The YouTube Kids paid ads policy (opens in a new tab) | Every paid ad pre-approved by YouTube's policy team; in-stream video only; ads not clickable; 15 to 20 seconds non-skippable or 60 seconds skippable depending on market; interest based ads and tracking pixels prohibited |
| Supervised accounts for children | A Google Account managed by Family Link for a child under 13 or the relevant age in their country | Personalized ads, remarketing and other personalized targeting prohibited; contextual ads based on the content viewed, the current search and general location |
| Signed in viewers above the digital age of consent and under 18 | Google's systems indicating the viewer is under 18 | Ads personalization disabled; sensitive categories restricted, such as adult media, weight loss, dating and shocking content |
What changes when a campaign could reach children in Quebec?
COPPA is a US federal rule about personal information. Quebec's rule is written about the advertisement itself. Section 248 of the province's Consumer Protection Act (opens in a new tab) reads: subject to what is provided in the regulations, no person may make use of commercial advertising directed at persons under thirteen years of age. The Office de la protection du consommateur (opens in a new tab) oversees compliance.
Section 249 says that to judge whether an advertisement is directed at persons under 13, account must be taken of the context of its presentation, in particular the nature and intended purpose of the goods, the manner of presenting the advertisement, and the time and place it is shown. Showing an ad in material meant for both children and older audiences does not create a presumption that it is not directed at children. These are statements of the law, not advice.
How should a plan record its made for kids decisions?
Five entries for the brief before any channel is chosen
- State the client's position. Pick one: stay off made for kids content, accept contextual ads there within YouTube's limits, or seek it on purpose.
- Name the product category. Compare it with YouTube's barred list for made for kids content and with the YouTube Kids policy if that app is in scope.
- Assign creative by audience. Note which cuts are written for parents and which, if any, are approved for a child audience.
- Record status per video. Keep the channel status and the status of recent uploads in the channel row, with the date read.
- Flag Quebec separately. If the plan reaches Quebec, record the brand's position on section 248 of Quebec's Consumer Protection Act apart from the YouTube label.
Fictional example
A family entertainment chain in Texas
A fictional regional chain of bowling and mini golf centers in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio asks its agency for YouTube ads aimed at parents planning weekend outings and birthday parties. The brief records the client's position: stay off made for kids content, because the only creative is a booking offer written for adults.
The planner shortlists Texas weekend guide channels, parenting vlogs and family cooking channels. Two parenting vlogs are set as not made for kids at the channel level, but several recent videos filmed with toddlers are set as made for kids. The planner keeps one vlog, where those videos are a small and older share of uploads, leaves the other out, and records both decisions with the video IDs and the date the status was read.
How does PlacementGraph read the made for kids label when it builds a plan?
PlacementGraph reads the made for kids status from dated records for each channel and its recent videos.
Frequently asked questions
Does the COPPA Rule allow contextual advertising on child-directed content?
The COPPA Rule counts serving contextual advertising and capping ad frequency as support for a service's internal operations, and information collected for those purposes cannot be used for behavioral advertising or to build a profile of a person. YouTube's own policy allows contextual ads on made for kids content.
Can a creator undo a made for kids label that YouTube applied?
Only through an appeal when the creator had already set an audience. YouTube allows one appeal per video. If it succeeds, the made for kids setting is removed; if it fails, the label stays. A buyer should read the current status from the Data API rather than from the creator's description of the channel.
Is a channel popular with teenagers treated as made for kids?
COPPA's line is under 13, and the FTC says content is not directed to children just because some children may see it. Teens get separate protection from Google based on the viewer: ads personalization off and sensitive categories restricted for users under 18, on any channel.
Can a brand reach the YouTube Kids app through an ordinary campaign?
Not without review. YouTube says every paid ad must be pre-approved by its policy team before it serves in YouTube Kids, accepts only the in-stream video format there, and makes those ads not clickable. Food and beverage ads, interest based ads and ads with remarketing or tracking pixels are prohibited in the app.
Sources
- Set your channel or video's audience (opens in a new tab)YouTube Help
- Videos resource (YouTube Data API) (opens in a new tab)Google for Developers
- Channels resource (YouTube Data API) (opens in a new tab)Google for Developers
- Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) (opens in a new tab)Federal Trade Commission
- 16 CFR 312.2 Definitions (opens in a new tab)Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
- YouTube channel owners: Is your content directed to children? (opens in a new tab)Federal Trade Commission, November 22, 2019
- How ads work on YouTube for supervised accounts and content set as made for kids (opens in a new tab)YouTube Help
- Ad protections for children and teens (opens in a new tab)Google Advertising Policies Help
- Advertising on YouTube Kids (opens in a new tab)YouTube Help
- Consumer Protection Act (CQLR c P-40.1) (opens in a new tab)LégisQuébec
- Advertising directed at children (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.