The Parents Television Council lauded the announcement by Google that it will release a YouTube Kids App on Feb. 23. The YouTube Kids App will feature family-friendly content and provide parental controls, though it will initially only be rolled out on Google Android devices.
“Kudos to Google for undertaking such a positive and important project. This is wonderful news for parents who are concerned about online content that is harmful to children. It is also a wise business move for Google to address the needs of an extremely underserved market. With the ‘Wild West’ nature of video entertainment on the Internet, this new Kids App is an important step towards protecting children from offensive or indecent content. We hope the app will be available to work with all mobile devices. On behalf of our members, we applaud and thank Google for creating a safe haven for kids,” said PTC President Tim Winter.
The Parents Television Council® (www.parentstv.org®) is a non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment. It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media. This national grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members and 57 chapters across the United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters, networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and negative messages targeted to children. The PTC™ also works with elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices for their own families.
Visit the new PTC Watchdog Blog at http://www.parentstv.org/blog/. Follow the PTC on Twitter: @ThePTC.