YouTube can’t remove kid videos without tearing a hole in the entire creator ecosystem

As a federal investigation into YouTube’s problems with children enters its late stages, the platform needs a solution. But as YouTube struggles to find a fix that addresses policymakers’ concerns, it’s left with a major roadblock: children have become integral to the overarching creator community. Whether it’s six-year-olds reviewing toys and landing on YouTube’s Trending page, kids’ reaction videos attracting millions of views, or top-tier vloggers teaming up with four-year-olds to create more family-centric content, the platform has become a destination for videos starring kids. In 2017, Time magazine reported being told by YouTube that “time spent watching family vloggers is up 90 percent in the past year.” Melissa Hunter, a... Continue reading…