YouTube Kids records what videos your child watches, what they search for, and how they interact with ads and content; if your child uses voice search, their voice is briefly recorded and then deleted.
This analysis describes what YouTube Kids's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
Watch history and search terms are used to recommend content and serve contextual ads, meaning the app builds a behavioral profile of your child's viewing habits even without collecting their name.
Your child's watch history, search terms, and ad interactions are collected and used to personalize content recommendations and serve contextual advertising, creating a behavioral record of their app use. Voice data is collected during voice searches but the notice states it is immediately deleted after processing.
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With your permission, we may also receive data from your mobile device's health app (like Apple HealthKit or Google Health Connect), including hours of sleep and sleep goals. However, we do not infer any health-related characteristics from this information and only process it consistent with the pur...
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If we collect health information from these integrations (such as heart rate), we will not sell or use it for advertising or other similar purposes; we do not disclose it to third parties without your prior consent; and we will only use it for the specific purposes described in this Policy.
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"App activity. This information includes the videos your child watches, their search terms, and other interactions with content and ads in the app. If a child uses audio features in the app such as voice search, the app briefly collects voice information. This information is processed to allow for use of the audio feature and immediately deleted.— Excerpt from YouTube Kids's YouTube Kids Privacy Notice
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The collection of watch history, search terms, and persistent identifiers from users under 13 implicates COPPA as enforced by the FTC. Under COPPA, persistent identifiers used to build behavioral profiles constitute personal information, and the use of such data for advertising purposes requires careful evaluation against COPPA's restrictions. The FTC is the primary enforcement authority. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The notice states that interest-based advertising and remarketing are not permitted, which is a meaningful carve-out. However, the use of unique identifiers and app activity data for contextual advertising to child users remains a regulatory sensitivity area under COPPA, and compliance teams should evaluate whether this practice falls within COPPA's permitted uses or requires additional parental disclosure and consent. JURISDICTION FLAGS: US COPPA exposure is the primary concern. For EEA users, GDPR's provisions on processing children's personal data apply, with Google Ireland Limited as the responsible entity. California's CCPA and the California Age-Appropriate Design Code may also engage for California-based child users. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: The notice states voice data is 'immediately deleted,' but compliance teams may want to verify this against Google's technical data retention practices, as contractual assertions of immediate deletion are difficult to audit without supplementary data processing agreements or independent audits. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should assess whether the app activity data collected (watch history, search terms, ad interactions) constitutes personal information under COPPA's broad definition and whether the contextual advertising use is adequately disclosed in the parental notice. Voice data retention claims should be reviewed against internal data handling documentation.
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Watch history and search terms are used to recommend content and serve contextual ads, meaning the app builds a behavioral profile of your child's viewing habits even without collecting their name.
Your child's watch history, search terms, and ad interactions are collected and used to personalize content recommendations and serve contextual advertising, creating a behavioral record of their app use. Voice data is collected during voice searches but the notice states it is immediately deleted after processing.
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