Finally, YouTube kids launched!! Hey parents what do you know about mobile app privacy?

Already popular among teenagers, YouTube released a new kid friendly app with content for children. According to YouTube, year over year they have seen 200% growth in viewing time on their family entertainment channels. The app by Google will run on smartphones and tablets featuring original episodes of popular television shows for preschoolers, including Thomas the Tank Engine and Sesame Street, as well as content from the kid-safe channels already featured on YouTube. Great news for parents, now steering kids away from the not so sometimes safe content that shows up accidentally accessed by youngsters with limited user knowledge of the platform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUmMAAPX6E8

Parents who want to limit their child’s screen time can control the app’s settings through a password; when a set amount of time is up, the app turns off and can’t be started again without the password.

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One important emerging issue is consumer privacy in marketing to children through mobile apps. According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) some apps might:

Collect and share personal information
Let your kids spend real money — even if the app is free
Include ads
Link to social media

What can you do to protect you and your family through mobile apps?

Learn more about an app before you download it, look at screen shots, read the description, content rating and any user reviews, and do some research on the developer.
You also can look up outside reviews from sources you respect. Before you pass the phone or tablet to your kids, take a look at your settings.
You may be able to restrict content to what’s right for your kid’s age, set a password so apps can’t be downloaded without it, and set a password so your kids can’t buy stuff without it.
You also can turn off Wi-Fi and data services or put your phone on airplane mode so it can’t connect to the Internet.

Among other rules, websites that cater to children must notify parents if they collect personal information. What do you think is the best way to keep up with kids’ apps?

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KC Media is an Advertising Media and Marketing Communications company focused on promoting brand awareness, helping clients gain market share and increase sales. KC Media services are tailored to align with its client’s marketing and advertising needs and goals. KCM will provide clients with a broad range of “winning” marketing consulting services. These services include strategic planning as well as tactical implementation. Strategic planning utilizes those processes that lead to an executable marketing plan by identifying areas of opportunity, market segmentation, competitive analysis, and by designing and implementing a plan to reach the desired market most effectively and efficiently. This will serve as a detailed road map for the planning and supervision of all marketing activities. Once completed, the tactical process is initiated leading to the execution of the plan. Other services include multicultural advertising and digital marketing strategies. KC Media also serves as a freelance media specialist for large and small marketing/advertising agencies. If there is a special project for a client, an emergency client pitch, or a need to expand your media department temporary KCM can handle all the elements of media; the planning, research, negotiating, activation, traffic and account management. KCM is a results-driven company that provides a complete range of services with the intention to evaluate various marketing communication tools; choosing those that are best suited to the client’s requirements. Those tools are then combined in such a way as to create meaningful, effective marketing for optimal results. Clients: Northwestern University School of Medicine Greater Chicago Study Center National Children's Study

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One Response to Finally, YouTube kids launched!! Hey parents what do you know about mobile app privacy?

Valerie Train says:

March 16, 2015 at 4:19 pm

Password protection is always a great way to keep children from releasing personal information, setting restrictions, and limiting the amount of time the app can be used. Another good way to keep up with kids’ apps could be a mirror app for the parents. An app could have 2 versions that would need to be downloaded and linked to each other: one for the child and one for the parents. This way, the parents can keep an eye on whatever it is the child is doing in the app.

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