This significantly expands the scope of data collection from anonymous identifiers to identifiable child profiles, and the data persists across devices and after sign-out unless actively deleted.
Consumer impact
YouTube Kids collects your child's viewing and search activity, device identifiers, and — if a parent signs in with a Google Account — profile details including the child's name and age, which are used to personalize content recommendations. Voice search audio is briefly collected but immediately deleted after processing. You can pause or clear your child's watch and search history by going to the parental settings section within the app.
What you can do
⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
Delete Your Data
Open the YouTube Kids app, go to Parental Settings, and either unlink your Google Account from the installation or delete the watch and search history for each child profile. To fully remove the profile, use the in-product tools provided in the parental settings section.
Applicable agencies
Federal Trade Commission (ftc)
Oversees unfair or deceptive business practices and can investigate companies that mislead consumers about data collection, sharing, or use.
Who can file: Anyone affected by the company's practices (US or international)
What you need: Your account details, a timeline of relevant events, and a description of the specific issue
What to expect: Complaints inform FTC enforcement priorities and investigations but do not result in individual resolution or compensation