CALIFORNIA: YouTube has announced that it will limit access to its feature of playing videos in the background for free mobile browser users.
The move is part of the firm’s overall plan to prompt its clients to subscribe to YouTube Premium. The background playback feature enables YouTube videos to keep playing even as the user shifts to other applications on the phone.
According to a report by The Verge, it was officially enabled on Google Chrome only for Premium subscribers. Nonetheless, free users were using the feature on other browsers like Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Samsung Internet.
Google announced that it is disabling access to “background playback” on free Google account profiles, although it’s possible some individuals still have temporary access to the feature. The company indicated it would ultimately phase it out for free profiles.
The company noted that the move is part of the strategy seeking to increase Premium subscriptions as well as generate more money through premium services. In response to the criticism, Google noted that the feature was part of the company’s plan for Premium users only and was working towards making it impossible for free users to access the feature using other browsers.
YouTube implements tighter controls for underage users
Earlier, YouTube announced the launch of new actions to make the platform safer and more positive for the younger generation through the addition of parental controls.
The video-sharing platform owned by Google has indicated that parents will now have more influence over the duration of YouTube Shorts viewed by their teenage kids. The new functionalities grant parents the authority to establish time limitations for Shorts, with the choices of 15, 30, and 45 minutes, one hour, and two hours.
Besides that, parents will have the ability to shut down access to YouTube Shorts for one entire day.
The new controls also encourage the viewing of educational content by recommending videos from channels such as Khan Academy Kids, Crash Course Kids, and TED-Ed that are appropriate for the child’s age. YouTube expects these reforms to foster a more positive and educational viewing experience for the children.
In the designing of these new functionalities, there’s been a partnership with different advisory boards, among them YouTube’s Youth Advisory Board, the UCLA Centre for Scholars and Storytellers, the American Psychological Association and the Boston Children’s Hospital.
Parents will no longer need to go through a long account creation process for their kids since it will be done automatically safe settings. Furthermore, the mobile application will give parents the privilege to switch accounts with just a few clicks.
According to YouTube, the modifications are aimed at giving more control to parents and making the digital space for the kids safe and positive.
