- All of us as video creators face some huge challenges
on YouTube in 2020.
Because of COPPA, FTC, made for kids content,
it means that we could lose lots of ad revenue
and many of the YouTube features we hold very dear
to our hearts, but with the time we have left in 2019,
all of us have a chance to make an impact
and add our voice to the conversation.
- [Narrator] VidIQ.
- [Girl] VidIQ.
- [Narrator] Vidiq.com
- Hello, I'm Rob, and welcome back to VidIQ,
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(dinging)
As always folks, you know the drill, school is in session.
To quickly summarize in case you don't know
what's been going on with YouTube, they've been fined
$180,000,000 by the Federal Trade Commission
because YouTube had been violating the
Children's Online Protection and Privacy act in the U.S.
by collecting data on children under the age of 13.
In a settlement between the FTC and YouTube,
YouTube are asking all of us as video creators
to correctly mark our content as whether or not it's made
for kids, and to be honest that has caused a huge heap
of confusion amongst all of us.
Now, if you need a lot more detail on this,
check out the video we posted here earlier on in the week.
The response to that video has been phenomenal.
Over 1,000 comments, many of them from video creators
asking the questions about whether or not their content
falls into the made for kids label, and to be honest,
right now nobody has a clear answer to any of this.
YouTube have provided some vague guidelines
on what might be considered kids content,
but they themselves can't commit to a definitive answer
and will rely as much as they can on machine learning
to do the job for them or your financial ability
to consult a lawyer, and this is what an actual lawyer has
to say about all of this.
- Listen, I'm a social media lawyer.
I've read through these factors multiple times.
They're written actually by administrative officials
and not legislators, and I can't even tell what they mean
let alone give advice to creators about whether
or not they factor in favor of kids content
or not kids content.
- Oh, and if you want to watch that full video,
it's over here.
It is absolutely fascinating, well worth checking out.
So if YouTube can't tell you exactly what kids content is,
social media lawyer experts can't tell you exactly
what kids content is, whenever we talk about the subject,
we have to recommend that you seek legal advice
because we're not entirely sure what we consider
kids content, I think we all need one thing out
of this, don't we?
Clarity. Now, it's all very well and good posting comments
on YouTube videos and complaining to YouTube directly
on Twitter and wherever else you may follow them
on social media, but if you want your voice
to have a real impact and be heard, there are two options
you have right now in the six weeks or so that we have left
in 2019 to make a potential impact.
The first is a petition on change.org titled
save family-friendly content on YouTube created
by Jeremy Johnston, a YouTube lawyer himself,
and a video creator with a channel called J House Vlogs
that has nearly 2,000,000 subscribers.
You'll find lots of valuable information on this page
as well as being able to add your name to the largest
and most organized group speaking up
for what are effectively your rights on YouTube.
Recently, you've seen just how powerful the YouTube
community can be when they join forces for the greater good.
Now creators are uniting to ensure that they do not
silently accept the FTC's decision, and as you can see,
that voice is getting louder literally by the second.
You'll find the link to the petition
in the video description, but what if adding your name
to a list doesn't go far enough for you?
What if you want to take your concerns, your comments
on YouTube videos where you've been watching this news story
develop, and take them and direct them towards people
who actually have the power to influence what happens?
Talk directly to the FTC.
Well you can do that, but you haven't got a lot.
Another link which I will leave in the video description
will take you to this open comment page from the FTC
where you can voice your opinion, situation,
and concerns with the currently proposed implementation
of the FTC rulings.
Ironically, you have 5,000 characters to play with here,
the same amount as a YouTube video description,
and you can attach files.
Even a video file if you wanted to.
So far, this page has received nearly 90,000 comments.
Now, a few words of warning before you start
to fill out this comment page.
Officially, comments were supposed to be posted on this page
by October the 23rd, but since YouTube didn't announce
their changes until the middle of November,
then surely the sheer weight and volume of comments
on this page may convince FTC to take a second look
at all of the people who are trying to contribute
to the conversation, and secondly, don't treat this
as a YouTube comments section and just troll the hell out
of the FTC.
That's not going to get you anywhere.
Really think about what you want to say
and how important all of this is to you as a video creator
who wants to succeed, grow a channel,
and potentially make an income.
You can also leave a comment when you sign a petition.
As I've already said, there are links to both
of these actions you can take
in the video description right here.
This is your opportunity, folks.
YouTube is changing.
Do you at least want to have your say
before there's nothing you can do it about it?
We'll keep you up-to-date with all
of the news on this topic.
Enjoy the rest of your video making day.