According to a report published yesterday, a new version of the YouTube Kids app is rumored to be coming. Unlike the current version of the app, the new one will do away with the use of algorithms to select its inventory of videos. All clips selected for the new YouTube Kids must be curated by a human being. This will prevent those with malicious intent from playing to the algorithms by making it appear that a video is kid-friendly even if it contains disturbing images.
Last month, we told you that
Google was removing a number of "conspiracy" themed videos from YouTube for Kids, including one that claims the Earth is flat and is controlled by creatures that are part reptile and part human. Still, it will be up to parents to decide what their kids watch. Today's report states that Google will offer both versions of YouTube for Kids alongside each other, leaving it up to parents to decide whether to allow their children to watch YouTube Kids with videos picked by algorithm, or YouTube Kids with videos hand picked by humans (not hybrid reptile-humans).
Even though the algorithm used for the app is set on "kid friendly," a YouTuber was quoted in the report as saying "Sometimes we miss the mark." The buzz around the water cooler is that the new version of YouTube Kids is only a couple of weeks away from being launched.
source:
BuzzFeed
