Google has started working on a new initiative to revamp the user experience for users of its services that are 12 years old and younger. Although no specifics have been released, it seems likely that widely tapped tools like YouTube, search and the Chrome browser will be first up sometime in 2015. The VP of engineering in charge of the project, Pavni Diwanji, says there is a “push to change our products to be fun and safe for children.”
In an age with COPPA, the FTC’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, when many companies shun any users who are not at least 13 years of age and there seems to be an unwritten rule that young users should not be targeted for advertising, Google’s move may raise some eyebrows. However, Diwanji notes that kids are already accessing Google’s tools and technologies.
Diwanji thinks Google should take the approach of making their tools suitable for use by young users and teaching them how to use what is available, rather than trying to stop access. She also thinks kids have an untapped reservoir of creative potential that could be unleashed with technology so that they can “be more than just pure consumers of tech, but creators, too.” Google executives point to efforts like their Maker Camp, Doodle 4 Google competition, and Made with Code initiative as examples to support that position.
The FTC’s Maneesha Mithal indicates the agency’s role with regard to kids is “about kids being protected and promoting business compliance.” Mithal also thinks it is very important that “parents are in the driver’s seat.” Marc Rotenberg with the Electronic Privacy Information Center also has some words of warning, indicating “we [don't] want a world where our kids are sold things they don’t need.” Considering Google has a huge interest in advertising and the revenue gained from providing a platform for marketers, it should be no surprise that some are concerned about where Google may be headed with this initiative.
Diwanji is unfazed though and wants to “make sure every single part of Google is great for kids. They are the future, so why not give them the tools to let them create it.”
Do you think this is a smart move by Google or will they eventually regret this attempt?
source: USAToday
Come comment on this article: Young Internet users have the attention of Google
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