YouTube seems to be headed down a very dark path. I'm concerned not only for myself but for many content creators. This includes those who wanted to help introduce more variety to the platform in a way that's more open to people instead of it only being for money and business purposes. YouTube Kids was also a great option for many parents who wanted to find videos for their children to watch.

Also, what one parent feels is best for their children might not have the same perspective as millions of other parents that are watching worldwide. This is why our perception can be a tricky thing especially when the rules are not clear or specific enough. 

The original agreement that we had is that YouTube is not a place for kids under 13 years of age. On that note,  I'm a little confused on why some videos have to be marked for kids.

Secondly, it should really be the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to monitor their own children but this is not the worst part. It gets much worst!  

What the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is considering to be "made for kids" content is extremely vague and unclear. I'm asking them for more clarity on this subject. The big reason why this concerns many content creators is because there is a high risk of getting fined over four-thousand dollars per violation and they might even have their account deleted. These harsh consequences is for anyone who marks their videos incorrectly. 

Now, I understand why someone might get in trouble for saying their videos is made for kids when it contains abusive content, but what most people do not know is that you could also get into a lot of trouble even if you have things in your videos that the FTC would consider to be "made for kids" content. This would be the case if the video is not marked for kids even if it was intended for a general audience. They do not know our intentions. 

Unfortunately, YouTube refused to add a general audience option to their videos and told us to mark it "not for kids" but that would not be the best alternative. There are many videos that include the things that the FTC considers to be "directed for kids" content such as music, jokes, pets and many other things that teens and adults also like.

Other things the FTC considered to be "made for kids" content included cartoons, fantasy, and bright-vibrant colors. It is very important to keep in mind that there are a lot of grey areas. For example, I have found cartoons with curse words that were marked for kids and just because a video has bright and vibrant colors doesn't mean that it's specifically intended for kids to watch.

I'm even concerned for friends of mine who like to make videos on games such as Minecraft and other things that may appeal to kids. I want to mention that I'm not much of a gamer, but I do know that there are many people of all ages that like to play games and I want to take them into consideration as well. 

An other option YouTube could consider is if we can tag our video as a general audience or put it into parentheses as a part of the title but it has to be set up in the way that the system would recognize it. Marking it "not for kids" as the general audience is not the best alternative if we would get into trouble for having things that might appeal to kids. The important part is for our intentions to be known because there are a lot of grey areas. We need more than just black and white options.

Also, It is a limited perspective to only judge everything by the book. It does not always define the intentions of other people. There are a lot of things that we need to take into consideration and it would take me hours to go over each one. What is important is that YouTube needs to add a general audience option but I do not really feel that they are putting any effort to do that. If it's too much money for them, then that tells me they value money more than making content creators their top priority and that would be really sad. YouTube should be more of a community.

If YouTube cares so much about money, then the only way this could work in our advantage is if there is a chance of them getting fined for not adding the general audience option. Then they are most likely going to invest into doing that if there is a risk of them needing to pay twice as much for refusing. This is something that needs to be mandatory, not only to help protect content creators, but the children as well. Here is a link to help you find more information of what the FTC considers to be "made for kids" content. Please check section B-1 on page 29 of the manual.

Now, I would like to share an example based on a video a friend sent to me. It was a parody video of the song "let it go" with the curse words "f**k it all." This video literally has everything that the FTC considers to be "made for kids". This includes music, jokes, parody, cartoons, fast moving animation, and bright and vibrant colors. Because of this, it has been marked for kids. It is really important to be mindful that there are many music videos, cartoons and jokes on YouTube that are not for kids. There are a lot of grey areas.

This is why there is YouTube Kids,but now it seems as if many creators might be forced to delete their account. It is not fair for the rest of us who are innocent in our intentions to get punished. People should be able to post videos of their pets, artwork, and anything family-friendly without needing it to be directed for kids.

"The media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the guilty innocent and the innocent guilty and that's power because they control the minds of the masses." ~ Malcom X Human Rights Activist (1925-1965)

COPPA is going about it the wrong way because there are over thousands of videos worldwide that can include things that may appeal to kids but it doesn't mean it's made for kids. The only way for the FTC to truly know our intentions is with the general audience option. Otherwise, it is risky for many people whether we mark it for kids or not. I fear this might lead YouTube down a very dark road where teens and adults are no longer allowed to have fun. Just think about how this might effect someone at a psychological level who never even got to have the happy childhood they wanted, especially during the pandemic.

The last thing I want to mention is that it's not always about the money and not everyone makes videos on YouTube for business purposes. There are many who like to do it as a hobby and I think it's important for everyone to have a platform where they can freely express themselves so that way they can manage through their practical lifestyle and still have a place to express their creativity.

This includes music, art, jokes and even conversations for many abstract thinkers to share with other like-minded people. I would like to see a lot more authentic connection on the media instead of just comparison, division, and the need to always shut people down all the time. There are much more healthier methods.

I'm really hoping that the general audience option would also allow people to comment and connect with one an other. Sadly, videos that are marked for kids do not allow that and they limit many other things as well. YouTube is supposed to be a community which means it shouldn't feel like we're just watching the television.

Hopefully there isn't an agenda to silence the youth, wound the innocence, and divide the population while masquerading as "safety" when it's only abusing the inner child within every individual because that would be really sad. 

It does not make sense that no one is allowed to comment on videos made for kids, but yet kids could still comment on videos not made for kids. They could also make fake accounts and just because a kid happens to comment on a video, doesn't mean that the video was intended for kids. If we only judge things by the book, our common sense would go out the window just like people who are killing in the name of religion, which is just as stupid as throwing a piece of artwork away in order to please the artist. If we want to put an end to ignorance, we have to stop thinking so black and white. 

PS: videos that would get marked for a general audience could be age restricted as well. The most important part is for our intentions to be made known.

Please sign this petition for the general audience option especially since most videos are for a general audience. The only videos that are specifically for kids should be on YouTube Kids.

All I ask is for rules that are fair and easy for everyone to follow and comprehend, but this cannot happen without your support. 

Thank you for your understanding.