The new changes to YouTube may or may not be killing Kinztube. It's rather frightening. Although the majority of Kinztubers are, nowadays, 13+ (with most being in high school or older), YouTube and the FTC could make the argument that our videos are "made for kids" because we use stuffed animals. Personally, I hate this stigma. Just because our creations are made with stuffed animals doesn't mean they're kid friendly.
My channel analytics show that the majority of my viewers are older than 18 (with the majority, supposedly, being ages 35-44). I don't even have any viewers ages 13-17 according to the analytics. They can't tell me my content is "for kids" when they can't even prove children are actually watching my videos. A few years ago? Yes. Nowadays? No.
The biggest problem with videos being marked as "for kids" is it takes away the comments. Personally, I don't understand this whatsoever. I suppose this is because the videos are then allowed to be shown on YouTube Kids, where there probably is little-to-no social interaction (I don't personally know because I've never used it). However, it's an unfair punishment. Yes, the lack of informing subscribers about new content when it's a "made for kids" video sucks, but I could live with that since I tend to promote my videos on my Facebook page and my Instagram account anyway. The comments is the reason why I have decided to switch all of my videos from 2016-current (as well as all Signature Island and Webkinz Big Brother videos/episodes) to "not made for kids". To be fair, my recent content hasn't really been appropriate for young children anyway. I was aware younger audiences watch my content for the most part, so I've tried to keep out swearing and overly mature content, but as I've gotten older, my content has also matured.
What does this mean for my content moving forward? Well, I can't blatantly start swearing in my videos. The main reason for this is because I am a future educator. I have to look semi-professional with what I do. I can continue to post videos on YouTube, but I also must make sure my content is family friendly. While there may be occasional swearing when appropriate to the character(s), it will be censored. All of my content from now on will be family friendly/PG. It is not "made for kids". My content is made for my viewers; the majority of my viewers are ages 13+.
Could YouTube and/or the FTC argue this? Well, yes. But YouTube also stated in an email that they trust us, the content creators, to know whether our content is "made for kids" or not. Considering children watch videos that are NOT "made for kids", I'm pretty sure they don't really get the right to decide. Now, obviously, if a video is very blatantly directed towards young children (think a Dora-esque video) and it gets marked as "not made for kids", they're probably going to get in trouble. But I'm pretty sure my content is safe.
However, the threat of a $45,000 fine is concerning for almost, if not all, Kinztubers. I know many who are not setting their videos to "made for kids" simply because the comments will be disabled otherwise. Comments are extremely important for content creators since it is the #1 way to get feedback. I can't speak for other Kinztubers, but for me, comments are a way for me to hear from my viewers/subscribers to find out if they liked the content or not as well as what their thoughts about it are. While I am now making content because I enjoy it again (finally), I'm also making it for the enjoyment of my viewers, so I need to know what they like and what they don't like. Through the comments, I am able to discuss my content with my viewers. The comments are extremely important for me as a creator, yet, if I try to make my channel kid friendly, I'll be punished (basically).
Ultimately, family friendly does NOT mean the same thing as kid friendly. Just because content is okay for families to watch together doesn't mean it is okay for kids to watch on their own, and that's what my current content boils down to: it's family friendly (with occasional swearing, kissing, fighting, etc.), but it's not kid friendly. If, according to the law, kids are under the age of 13, then, no, my content is no longer kid friendly.
Personally, I urge all Kinztubers to label their channels and videos as, at the very least, PG. If you're going to do what I do and mark your content as "not made for kids", then make sure you are protecting yourself. Take screenshots of your channel analytics and your channel and video descriptions.
Hopefully, things will change, but for now, we need to adapt in order to continue to survive. I love Kinztube too much, as small as it is anymore, to give up now.
Paws Up, Kinztubers. (```)
Don't give up.
My channel analytics show that the majority of my viewers are older than 18 (with the majority, supposedly, being ages 35-44). I don't even have any viewers ages 13-17 according to the analytics. They can't tell me my content is "for kids" when they can't even prove children are actually watching my videos. A few years ago? Yes. Nowadays? No.
The biggest problem with videos being marked as "for kids" is it takes away the comments. Personally, I don't understand this whatsoever. I suppose this is because the videos are then allowed to be shown on YouTube Kids, where there probably is little-to-no social interaction (I don't personally know because I've never used it). However, it's an unfair punishment. Yes, the lack of informing subscribers about new content when it's a "made for kids" video sucks, but I could live with that since I tend to promote my videos on my Facebook page and my Instagram account anyway. The comments is the reason why I have decided to switch all of my videos from 2016-current (as well as all Signature Island and Webkinz Big Brother videos/episodes) to "not made for kids". To be fair, my recent content hasn't really been appropriate for young children anyway. I was aware younger audiences watch my content for the most part, so I've tried to keep out swearing and overly mature content, but as I've gotten older, my content has also matured.
What does this mean for my content moving forward? Well, I can't blatantly start swearing in my videos. The main reason for this is because I am a future educator. I have to look semi-professional with what I do. I can continue to post videos on YouTube, but I also must make sure my content is family friendly. While there may be occasional swearing when appropriate to the character(s), it will be censored. All of my content from now on will be family friendly/PG. It is not "made for kids". My content is made for my viewers; the majority of my viewers are ages 13+.
Could YouTube and/or the FTC argue this? Well, yes. But YouTube also stated in an email that they trust us, the content creators, to know whether our content is "made for kids" or not. Considering children watch videos that are NOT "made for kids", I'm pretty sure they don't really get the right to decide. Now, obviously, if a video is very blatantly directed towards young children (think a Dora-esque video) and it gets marked as "not made for kids", they're probably going to get in trouble. But I'm pretty sure my content is safe.
However, the threat of a $45,000 fine is concerning for almost, if not all, Kinztubers. I know many who are not setting their videos to "made for kids" simply because the comments will be disabled otherwise. Comments are extremely important for content creators since it is the #1 way to get feedback. I can't speak for other Kinztubers, but for me, comments are a way for me to hear from my viewers/subscribers to find out if they liked the content or not as well as what their thoughts about it are. While I am now making content because I enjoy it again (finally), I'm also making it for the enjoyment of my viewers, so I need to know what they like and what they don't like. Through the comments, I am able to discuss my content with my viewers. The comments are extremely important for me as a creator, yet, if I try to make my channel kid friendly, I'll be punished (basically).
Ultimately, family friendly does NOT mean the same thing as kid friendly. Just because content is okay for families to watch together doesn't mean it is okay for kids to watch on their own, and that's what my current content boils down to: it's family friendly (with occasional swearing, kissing, fighting, etc.), but it's not kid friendly. If, according to the law, kids are under the age of 13, then, no, my content is no longer kid friendly.
Personally, I urge all Kinztubers to label their channels and videos as, at the very least, PG. If you're going to do what I do and mark your content as "not made for kids", then make sure you are protecting yourself. Take screenshots of your channel analytics and your channel and video descriptions.
Hopefully, things will change, but for now, we need to adapt in order to continue to survive. I love Kinztube too much, as small as it is anymore, to give up now.
Paws Up, Kinztubers. (```)
Don't give up.