As AI-generated content spreads across YouTube, U.S. organizations and experts such as the American Federation of Teachers and the National Black Child Development Institute are calling on YouTube to protect children from “AI missteps.”
In a letter written and organized by Fairplay and sent today to Google (which owns YouTube) CEO Sundar Pichai and CEO Neil Mohan, more than 230 organizations and experts say AI slop “has a negative impact on children’s development by distorting their sense of reality, overwhelming their learning processes, and hijacking their attention span.”
Fairplay said in the letter that YouTube imposes terrible things on children, including infants and toddlers. The report cites reports that 40% of videos recommended following YouTube’s popular preschool shows such as “Cocomelon” include AI-generated content. Additionally, 21% of all short videos recommended by new users included AI nonsense, and pseudoscientific information from AI videos was recommended to older children as “educational.”
“in spite of [YouTube’s] “While promising the safety of children, the proliferation of AI slop content once again shows that YouTube is prioritizing profits over the well-being of its most vulnerable users,” the letter reads.
“In fact, multiple content creators have boasted of making millions of dollars with plotless, captivating AI content for young children, and the most-watched AI slop channel targeting kids has generated more than $4.25 million annually to date.”
The letter was signed by 135 organizations and 102 experts. Signatories include ParentsSOS, American Counseling Association, Children & Nature Network, Canadian Center for Child Protection Inc., Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), Design it For Us, The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University, National Center for Online Sexual Abuse (NCOSE), Outdoor Play Canada, Henderson, North Carolina Mayor Melissa Elliott, pediatricians Dr. Michelle Ponti, Sherry Turkle, Gaia Bernstein, and Dr. Dana. Suskind.
The letter was launched alongside a Fairplay petition on YouTube calling for “Stop AI slop for kids!”
This letter describes six changes YouTube should make to how AI content is displayed and distributed on YouTube and YouTube Kids. Those changes are:
- Clearly label all AI-generated content on YouTube.
- Excludes AI-generated content from YouTube Kids.
- Prohibits AI-generated videos for children (“made for kids”) on YouTube.
- Prohibits algorithmic recommendations of AI-generated content to users under 18.
- Implement a toggle switch in Parental Controls to allow parents to turn off AI-generated content even when their children search for it. This switch should be off by default.
- Stop all investment in the production of AI-generated videos for children.
The letter follows the announcement that Google is investing $1 million in Animaj, an AI studio that creates AI videos for children, including infants and toddlers, who Fairplay says should not be given any screen time.
Recommended reading
It also follows last week’s verdict in Los Angeles that held YouTube accountable in a landmark social media trial that focused on social media addiction and children.
“If Google wants to continue marketing YouTube and YouTube Kids to children, it is the company’s responsibility to ensure its platforms are safe and developmentally appropriate,” the letter said.
“Given the lack of evidence that AI slop is safe for children, and the potential for these videos to fascinate and harm children, Google must take swift action to protect children on its platform.”
