Fears for children as Google targets under-13s Internet giant’s unprecedented initiative alarms child safety campaigners Internet privacy and child safety campaigners have called for dramatically improved parental controls in cyberspace after Google revealed it is developing products aimed at the under-13s. The California-based search giant is the first of the big internet companies openly to tailor its services to children aged 12 and under – an age group hitherto considered off-limits for marketing purposes and data collection. Google declined yesterday to say which of its panoply of products – ranging from its basic and highly lucrative search facility to YouTube and its Google Plus social media service to the Chrome browser – are to be made child-friendly. But a government adviser told The Independent last night that Google would have to satisfy the public that it was not seeking to deepen the commercialisation of childhood by using its vast size to hoover up information about the behaviour of minors online. A senior executive with the firm, whose corporate motto is famously “Don’t be evil”, insisted any services would be “fun and safe” with parental supervision at their heart. ow.ly/FwLat
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 18:00:52 +0000
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