In an era when more people than ever are consuming streamed content, there’s one demographic that deserves careful consideration as companies continue to develop content services for specific niches: children.
Children are growing up in a world where streamed content is the norm. Forthcoming platforms such as Google Stadia and Mircosoft xCloud promise to make gaming more interactive than ever. In fact, Stadia purports to allow viewers to load in and play alongside their favorite streamers.
On the other side of the coin is Loots, a company that recently announced its intention to launch a streaming platform intended solely for “the TikTok generation.” That includes children as young as nine. Even more troubling is that Loots currently makes its money as an advertising partner for streamers. Given what we know so far, Loots is probably thinking more about profit than protection.
Preying On The Vulnerable
Unfortunately, emphasis on streaming and streaming services has some unintended ramifications: First, there are major concerns as to appropriate content as streaming platforms have little control over what’s shown until a third party flags it as inappropriate. There are also predators who use these platforms to target children, often posing as children themselves to deceive young people into sharing their own inappropriate content. And then, of course, there’s the smarmy marketing practices that infiltrate the streaming community on a daily basis; Not only are children subject to witnessing ads and sponsor deals that are not always properly labeled as such, but within the gaming community, they also frequently find themselves caught in the allure of microtransaction-driven cosmetics.
So why is it, then, that some streaming platforms seem to be turning a blind eye toward children’s safety and protection, choosing instead to try to actively target them?
Let’s start first with the economics. Certainly, even an outsider can understand how advertisers would presume children to be a profitable market given that kids under 8 spend 65% of their online time on YouTube. Many of them also start playing games as early as preschool, starting with simple matching and shape games designed for iPads. It would make sense that a profit-driven company would want to target this market and capitalize upon it.
However, even if that company promises to retain high standards of integrity, a streaming service aimed toward children remains an ethically questionable by its nature. The more time that children spend with these platforms, the more data points marketers can use to target them, influence them, and ultimately, manipulate them. And, unfortunately, children are especially receptive to marketing messages.
“It’s The Parent’s Job To Watch Their Kids!”
It’s a nice thought to imagine that it’s up to parents to police their children’s activities on the web. But frequently, even good parents are completely in the dark about what their children do online. Ask any parent who has discovered their child spent thousands of dollars on microtransactions, and they’ll share that they would have stopped it had they understood it was happening.
One might ask how streaming differs from traditional broadcast television stations, which have targeted children for years. First of all, there are significant regulations that dictate what advertisers can and cannot show on television. In addition, broadcast is a fundamentally one-way street. But online streaming and gaming services are inherently interactive in nature, and as a result, they provide far more opportunities to tempt children to engage with content or purchase things on the spot.
And this means that not only are creators making content for children, but frequently, children engage with that content as well. The lines are becoming even more blurry as gaming and livestreaming communities continue to innovate and intersect with one another.
Whether they’re testing out livestreaming themselves in an effort to emulate their favorite streamers or they’re simply commenting and engaging with the audience, they’re prime targets for manipulation, be it from advertisers or individuals with nefarious intent.
Many parents can and do exercise parental controls that allow their kids to access only specific content on the web. But if a streaming platform is branded as “kid-friendly,” then parents may simply presume it’s acceptable and exercise lax restrictions, assuming the publisher has already taken measures to care for their protection.
People Over Profits
Most current streaming platforms have age restrictions in terms of who can use their services. But there are multiple instances of violations that went on for hours, and some of them are disturbing, to say the least. For instance, one BBC reporter investigating streaming services claims she discovered a 9-year-old streamer going live for the first time, and then being asked to take her clothes off. More than 200,000 children are targets for grooming on Twitch alone, according to one estimate.
One argument may be that someone is eventually going to develop child-specific game streaming services eventually anyway, so someone should capitalize on this trend to make the most of it. But one would hope that whichever platform brands itself as the leader in streamed gaming content for children does so with the help of child psychologists, regulatory agencies, law enforcement and others who have children’s best interests — rather than profit margins — in mind.
And, given that even the biggest platforms in the world let things slip through the cracks, it’s hard to say that there’s any scenario where interactive streaming services should be targeting children at all. But the companies that choose to enter this messy territory must do everything they can to protect the children they purport to serve.
