[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 10013-10014]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            YOUTUBE KIDS APP

  Mr. NELSON. Madam President, I want to address something that I was 
absolutely shocked about when I saw it over the weekend. We hear the 
term ``age appropriate,'' and when it comes to our children, that is 
necessarily something that parents should be concerned about because we 
parents--all of us who are parents--want our children to be able to 
take advantage of the Internet's vast resources to learn, to stay 
connected. But we as parents do not want our children, especially small 
children, to encounter inappropriate content.
  Well, unfortunately, there is a lot of violence, profanity, and 
sexualized material on the Internet, and kids can too often access this 
material with the click of a mouse. We have all been dealing with that. 
That is nothing unusual. And what are we parents to do? We can monitor 
our kids' activities, but we can also depend on parental controls and 
filters in the marketplace. We have seen the development of many of 
these services for kids that promise a safe space for children. The 
problem is when companies do not completely deliver on that promise.
  So I have read recent news reports and I watched Google's YouTube 
Kids mobile application for smart phones, and I see that it contains 
material that is not, in fact, appropriate for small children. 
According to the press accounts--and what I saw repeated--the app has 
apparently been found to include videos with explicit language; mature 
subject matter, such as child abuse, drug use, pedophilia; 
demonstrations of unsafe behaviors; and--get this--advertisements for 
alcohol.
  I want to show you a picture. This is on Google's YouTube Kids app. 
Here is a lady hawking red wine. This is an advertisement for little 
kids? It is there, and I hope the offending parties will take heed to 
my remarks.
  We all recognize what is shown in this picture--most appropriate for 
advertisements for the Super Bowl, but on a Google YouTube app for 
little children, preceded by the Clydesdales pulling the wagon with the 
Dalmatian--an icon in America. But for little children, an ad, the King 
of Beers?
  And how about unsafe behaviors. Here is someone striking a match and 
taking this match down to a pile of

[[Page 10014]]

unlit matches, and then, of course, you know what happens--it all goes 
up in flame.
  Have we lost our common sense? When Google rolled out its YouTube 
Kids app, it said: ``The app makes it safer and easier for children to 
find videos on topics they want to explore . . . .'' That is a good 
thing. It went on to say: ``Now, parents can rest a little easier 
knowing that videos in the YouTube Kids app are narrowed down to 
content appropriate for kids.'' Well, I certainly agree with Google on 
that statement. Parents should be able to trust these online venues for 
children, especially when they are designed and marketed as being safe. 
But is this safe for children? And, Madam President, is that safe for 
children? I do not think so.
  If a company creates an online safe haven for kids, it must do 
everything it can to make sure children are not unnecessarily exposed 
to the very content parents want their children to avoid. Google 
certainly has the technical expertise to make sure that videos which 
are unsuitable for kids are screened or filtered out, especially when 
Google markets the app as being suitable for children. Indeed, section 
5 of the FTC Act prohibits deceptive marketing practices.
  I applaud Google for its efforts to create healthy online experiences 
for children, but in this case, their efforts fell short, and I would 
expect Google to change this right away.
  Furthermore, YouTube Kids should also be sensitive to the fact that 
younger children often do not understand the difference between 
advertisements and noncommercial content. So kids' online services that 
have commercial advertising should make sure that advertising is 
clearly distinguished from the other content. Google should not take 
advantage of this well-known vulnerability among children. Video 
advertisements should be easily and clearly distinguishable from other 
videos the kids are watching.
  I should not have to come here and the Senator from Utah be so 
gracious to give me the time. It ought to be common sense that we 
should not be doing this. But this Senator, who is the ranking member 
of the Senate Commerce Committee, is compelled to come here and speak 
of this kind of comment. We want companies to create online services 
and products that allow children safe access to age-appropriate 
content, and we understand that companies want to tap into the kids' 
market, but everyone knows just how much Internet content is out there 
that is completely unsuitable for children.
  Madam President, need I say any more? It is very clear, and I hope 
there will be quick action for appropriate content.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.

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