London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

YouTube accused of collecting UK children's data

YouTube accused of collecting UK children's data

YouTube has been accused of collecting the viewing data of children aged under 13, in breach of a UK data privacy code designed to protect children.
Campaigner Duncan McCann has lodged an official complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

He says the site is gathering data about the videos children watch, where they are watching and what device they are watching it on.

YouTube said it had invested in protecting families.

This included treating all children's content as though children were viewing it, even on an adult's account, it said.

"We remain committed to continuing our engagement with the ICO on this priority work, and with other key stakeholders including children, parents and child-protection experts," a spokesperson said.

The platform is owned by the US tech giant Alphabet, which is also the parent company of Google.

The firm has always said its service was not intended for use by children below the age of 13, and it offers a separate children's app called YouTube Kids as well as a "supervised experience" which requires parental consent.

Mr McCann says plenty of children watch YouTube content on family devices, where this data can be gathered by default because it is not registered as a children's account.

His complaint is believed to be the first test of the ICO children's code, which was introduced in 2020, when tech firms were given one year to comply with it.

Its terms include providing a high level of privacy for children by default and not using design features that encourage them to provide more data.

YouTube said at the time it would turn off default auto-play on videos and block ad targeting and personalisation for all children.

According to the regulator Ofcom, 89% of children in the UK between three and 17 used the video platform in 2021.

Firms found to be in breach of the children's internet code can face large fines, similar to the penalties for breaching data protection laws.

The ICO said it would consider the complaint carefully.

Mr McCann is acting in a personal capacity, but works for the campaign group 5Rights Foundation, which has championed the code.

"My preferred reform that YouTube should make is that actually when you enter YouTube, they don't collect any unnecessary and process any unnecessary information," he said.

"The best way to ensure that they are only collecting the data of adults who are properly consenting would be to have a process where adults can sign in to the tracking, recommendation systems, profiling, targeted ads."

He added that he believed it would be "a minority" of users who would choose to do so.

In 2019, YouTube was fined $170m (£139m) by a US regulator for violating children's privacy laws.

This followed a similar accusation that it was collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent.

YouTube did not admit responsibility but it did pay the fine and also changed its business practices as a result, said Stephanie Hare, author of Technology is Not Neutral.

"It assumed that anyone watching children's content would be potentially under the age of 13. And so it now collects far less data on that type of content, and also doesn't send personalised ads to people watching that content," she said.

"The solution exists, they just need to pull it out of the toolbox."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
×