YouTube faces backlash over AI slop videos targeting kids

YouTube has spent years trying to position itself as a safer place for younger viewers, but a new wave of AI-generated content for kids is stirring controversy. A large group of child development experts is urging Google to step in and potentially ban some of it outright.

As reported by Bloomberg, more than 200 children’s specialists, advocacy groups, and schools have sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan calling for AI-generated videos to be removed from recommendations for kids on YouTube and YouTube Kids. The group takes aim at what it describes as low-quality, mass-produced content — often dubbed AI slop — that’s designed to grab attention rather than actually teach anything.

Their concerns go a bit deeper than just content quality. The letter argues that these videos could affect children’s attention spans and blur the line between what’s real and what isn’t. It also points to a familiar issue for parents: screen time creeping into spaces that would otherwise be filled with real-world play and social interaction. They say YouTube is effectively part of an “uncontrolled experiment” on children, pushing AI-generated content without clear evidence that it’s actually beneficial.

YouTube claims it’s not ignoring the issue. A spokesperson said that the company already limits AI-generated content in YouTube Kids to a smaller set of vetted channels and requires creators to disclose when videos are made with AI. It also claims its systems are built to penalize spammy, mass-produced content, but critics aren’t convinced that’s enough.

There’s also a bit of a mixed message here. While facing calls to clamp down on AI content for kids, Google recently invested in Animaj, an AI animation studio focused on producing YouTube videos for younger audiences. Critics behind the letter argue that moves like this could encourage more screen time, including among “babies and toddlers who shouldn’t have any screen time at all.”

All of this is landing at a time when YouTube’s parent company is already under pressure over how its platforms affect younger users. A recent US jury verdict found Google and Meta liable in a case tied to social media addiction. Both companies plan to appeal, but this latest development raises further questions about Google’s approach to younger users.