Google continues to expand the reach for its platforms. Today, the company announced that YouTube Kids is now available on Apple TV. The app has been made available in countries including the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, parts of South America, Africa as well as Asia.
YouTube Kids is available to operate with or without logging in. Parental controls set on the account automatically transfer onto the Apple TV for users who choose to login, otherwise, kids can browse and watch videos with no restrictions. Those who want to modify any of their settings can do so in the app on a tablet or phone.
Last year, YouTube came under fire after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to have YouTube’s parent company, Google, dole out between $150 to 200 million dollars to settle a lawsuit claiming the platform violated children’s privacy. Privacy groups brought the case to the FTC, accusing YouTube of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal information about minors and using it to target advertisements without getting consent from parents.
Critics of the fine were enraged as they see the settlement as a mere slap on the wrist that didn’t hold YouTube to its maximum culpability.
In response to the fine, YouTube revealed a new web portal for YouTube Kids, along with a set of more discerning content filters, The Verge reported. The platform also enforced an explicit ban on violent or “mature” videos that appear to be marketed toward children. YouTube also banned targeted ads on children’s videos, making them less profitable for creators and possibly jeopardizing that genre of YouTube content.