WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle warn a popular website could be tracking kids and teens without parents knowing.
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In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Martha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) call for an “urgent investigation” into YouTube and its parent company Google for potential violations committed by tracking and targeting children on the platform without parental consent.
“YouTube and Google cannot continue treating young people’s data as an unprotected commodity from which to profit with abandon,” the letter to the FTC states.
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The @nytimes just reported that YouTube and Google might be tracking and targeting children on their platform without parental consent—violating their consent decree and my law, COPPA. This is egregious behavior and @MarshaBlackburn and I are calling on the FTC to investigate. https://t.co/jKcJXDbdtq pic.twitter.com/66AEZTploG
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) August 17, 2023
Analysts say social media in general is making it hard for parents to keep up with what their kids watch.
A report from the group Advertising Analysts suggests Youtube is allowing ad targeting and tracking on people who watch Youtube videos labeled for kids.
YouTube, for its part, claims the research is flawed and misleading.
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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have recently been critical of big tech companies, saying they’re not doing enough to keep kids safe.
“Young people are the most exposed,” Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham said during a hearing. “Parents feel helpless. There’s somebody affecting your kids you’ll never see and a lot of times it’s a machine.”
Pending legislation could prompt changes, including shielding young people from harmful content and putting in stricter controls for anyone who’s under the age of 16.
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Lawmakers are currently on August recess, but they could take action on legislation when they return to Washington D.C. in the fall.
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