Senators Advocate for FTC Investigation into YouTube Advertising Targeting Children
Senators Marsha Blackburn and Edward Markey are urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate allegations that YouTube and its parent company, Google, were tracking and targeting children without parental consent. The senators cited research from Adalytics, which revealed that YouTube and Google were collecting and distributing children’s data without parental consent and showing targeted ads on videos for kids. The senators also highlighted that in 2019, YouTube and Google were fined $170 million by the FTC for violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), but new policies implemented by YouTube have not been fully enforced. Adalytics found evidence of remarketing ad campaigns targeting children on YouTube channels designated as “made for kids.” The senators called for the FTC to take action and for Congress to pass legislation to protect young people’s privacy online and ban targeted advertising to kids and teens.
