Hey, kids. If you're bummed because you're too young to create a Google account, we have some potentially good news.
The Web giant is reportedly working on versions of YouTube and Gmail that are specifically geared towards children. If Google goes through with the plan, it would be the first time the company has offered accounts to children under 13 years old, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with Google's plans.
Google declined to comment about the report when contacted by PCMag on Tuesday.
Currently, children are not allowed to sign up for a Gmail or YouTube account because the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts strict limits on how information about children under 13 is collected for advertising. If you're under 13, Google will redirect you to a page stating it could not create your account because you do not meet the age requirement. However, there's nothing really stopping children from masquerading as adults to create an account.
The new system would let parents set up accounts for their children, as well as control how their youngsters use the services and what information is collected about them, so they are compliant with COPPA.
According to tech news site The Information, which first reported on the company's plans to embrace the younger age group, Google has already been working on a kid-friendly version of YouTube. As part of the move, Google will also introduce a dashboard where parents can oversee their kids' activities.
Back in 2011, Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg made headlines when he said that kids under 13 should be allowed on the site. But COPPA has thus far stood in the way of any major action on that front.
The FTC updated COPPA in 2012 for the digital age, outlining how websites, apps, and third-party networks should handle the personal information of children. It had not been updated since 1998—before Facebook, Twitter, or smartphones. For more, check out New Rules on Kids' Online Privacy Require Adults to Pay Attention.
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