YouTube Kids was created to give kids a more contained environment that makes it simpler and more fun for them to explore on their own, and easier for parents and caregivers to guide their journey as they discover new and exciting interests along the way. YouTube Kids does not collect personal information like name, address, or contact information from a child. YouTube Kids does not allow a child to share personal information with third parties or make it publicly available. However, the service may use collected information to offer kids personalized content and contextual advertisements, but does not display interest-based advertising or use information for re-marketing.

YouTube Kids is available for download at the iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. Please note: when children use YouTube Kids without signing into their Google account, the YouTube Kids Notice for Children policy applies. When children are signed into YouTube Kids with their Google account, the information Google collects, including search and watch history, and recordings of voice searches, may be stored with the child's Google account. The YouTube Kids Privacy Policy and YouTube Kids Terms of Service used for this evaluation can be found on the YouTube Kids' website, iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store.

YouTube Kids integrates with Google Family Link for parents which is an app that lets parents or guardians create a Google Account for their child that's like a parent's account, with access to most Google services like YouTube Kids. Family Link can be accessed through its website and is available for download at the iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. The Family Link Privacy Notice applies to Google Accounts Managed with Family Link for Children under 13, and the Family Link Disclosure for Children under 13 policy provides more information about the application's features. The Family Link Privacy Notice and the Google Privacy Policy both explain Google's privacy practices for a child’s Google Account. To the extent there are terms that conflict, such as with respect to limitations on personalized advertising for children, the Family Link Privacy Notice takes precedence for those users. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.

Additionally, other relevant policies used for this evaluation include:

• Google Terms of Service
• Youtube Terms of Service
• YouTube Data Processing Terms
• Policies and Safety
• Community Guidelines
• Our Privacy and Security Principles
• Google's Sub-processors
• Legal Frameworks For Data Transfers
• Google’s Partners
• Google Advertising
• Type of cookies used by Google
• Google Cloud Privacy
• Google Cloud Security

Safety

Google's terms state many of its services let users interact with other trusted and untrusted users and share information with other people, for example, people with whom a user chooses to communicate or share content. If a user has a Google Account, they may display their profile name, profile photo, and actions a user takes on Google or on third-party applications connected to their Google Account. Additionally, a child’s information, including their name, photo, email address, and Google Play purchases, may be shared with members of a family group with Google Family Link. YouTube Kids does not allow a child to share their personal information with third parties or make it publicly available.

Google's terms remind users that when they share information publicly, their content may become accessible through search engines, including Google Search. When a user is signed in and interacts with Google services, like leaving comments on a YouTube video or reviewing a song in Google Play, their name and photo appear next to their activity. The terms state users may manage their contact information, such as their name, email, and phone number and choose whether their name and photo appears next to their activity, like reviews and recommendations, that may also appear in ads depending on their shared endorsements setting.

The terms also state a child will be able to share information, including photos, videos, audio, and location, publicly and with others, when signed in with their Google Account. When a child shares information publicly, it may be accessible through search engines like Google Search. Google Dashboard is a service that allows users to manage information associated with specific products and control what others see about a user across Google services. In addition, the terms state that Google provides "My Activity" controls that allow users to review and control data that’s created when they use Google services, like searches they have done, or visits to Google Play. Users can also browse by date and by topic, and delete part or all of their activity on Google services.

Google provides additional safety resources for families:

• Parental supervision
• Family-friendly experiences
• Tips for families

Privacy

Google's terms state they build a range of services that help millions of people daily to explore and interact with the world in new ways. The terms state Google uses these principles to guide their products, their processes, and their people in keeping users’ data private, safe, and secure. The terms also state that users may provide information to Google which personally identifies them, such as their name, email address, or billing information, or other data that can be reasonably linked to a user by Google, such as information they associate with their Google Account.

In addition, Google's terms state they collect information about a child’s activity in their services, which they use to do things like recommend apps they might like on Google Play. A child’s activity information that they collect may include things like search terms, videos they watch, voice and audio information when they use audio features, people with whom they communicate or share content, and Chrome browsing history they’ve synced with their Google Account. The terms state a child can visit their Google Account to find and manage activity information that’s saved in their account and parents can also manage their activity information by signing in to their child’s Google Account or with Family Link.

When it comes to privacy, Google's terms state they know one size doesn’t fit all. Every Google Account is built with on/off data controls, so users can choose the privacy settings that are right for them. And as technology evolves, Google's terms state its privacy controls evolve as well, ensuring that privacy is always an individual choice that belongs to the user. The terms state Google does not sell users' personal information to third parties. However, the terms state Google allows specific third-party partners to collect information from users' browsers or devices for advertising and measurement purposes using their own third-party cookies or similar tracking technologies.

Google's terms also state they will not serve personalized ads to a child, which means ads will not be based on information from a child’s account. Instead, ads may be based on information like the content of the website or app a parent's child is viewing, the current search query, or general location (such as city or state). Additionally, the terms state that Google allows specific partners to collect information from a user's browser or device for advertising and measurement purposes using their own cookies or similar technologies. Lastly, Google's terms state they don’t show users personalized ads based on sensitive categories, such as race, religion, sexual orientation, or health.

Google provides additional privacy resources:

• Data transparency
• Privacy controls
• Ads and data

Security

Google's terms state they respect the privacy of their users which means protecting the data they trust Google with. To keep every Google product and service secure for our users, the terms state Google engineers and employs one of the most advanced security infrastructures in the world. This means constantly strengthening Google's built-in security technologies to detect and protect against evolving online threats, before they ever reach Google's users. However, the terms state keeping users safe online doesn’t stop with Google – it extends to the whole Internet. Google was the first company to create many of the security standards we all use today, and Google continues to innovate new security technologies that can be used by everyone. The terms also state Google shares their security learnings, experiences, and tools with partners, organizations, and competitors around the world, because Internet-wide security demands industry-wide collaboration.

The terms state Google reviews their information collection, storage, and processing practices, including physical security measures, to prevent unauthorized access to their systems. Google's terms state they restrict access to personal information to Google employees, contractors, and agents who need that information in order to process it. Anyone with this access is subject to strict contractual confidentiality obligations and may be disciplined or terminated if they fail to meet these obligations. Before on-boarding third-party subprocessors, Google conducts an audit of the security and privacy practices of subprocessors to ensure subprocessors provide a level of security and privacy appropriate to their access to data and the scope of the services they are engaged to provide. In addition, the terms state Google uses encryption to keep users' data private while in transit with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)/TLS (Transport Layer Security) and while stored on their servers. The terms state that if Google becomes aware of a data breach incident, Google will notify users of the incident promptly and without undue delay, and promptly take reasonable steps to minimize harm and secure users' data.

Google provides additional security resources:

• Built-in protection
• Security leadership
• Security tips

Compliance

Google's terms state they know it’s important for parents and guardians to understand what personal information they collect in association with their child’s Google Account, why they collect it, and how parents can update, manage, export, and delete that information. If a parent or guardian created a new account for their child with Family Link, they can access, update, remove, and export their child’s information by signing into their Google Account. As part of the account creation process, the terms state Google may ask for personal information like first and last name, email address, and birthdate. Google may also use payment information to verify that a user meets age requirements, if, for example, if a user enters an incorrect birthday indicating they are not old enough to have a Google Account.

Google's terms state your child will have the ability to delete their part activity, and by default grant app permissions (including things like device location, microphone, or contacts) to third parties. In addition, the terms state parents and guardians can also use the Family Link app or Family Link settings on the web to edit or modify their child’s Google Account or profile information, review app activity and app permissions, and manage their child’s ability to grant certain permissions to apps or third party services to access your child's information. Parents can also use Family Link to help manage their child’s access to certain features, apps, and services. Lastly, the terms state if at any time a parent or guardian wishes to stop further collection or use of their child's information, they can delete their child’s Google Account my clicking “Delete profile” on their child’s Account Info page in Family Link or on the Family group page in My Account.