The challenge presented by kids spending time on YouTube has been well-documented over the last few months. Ultimately, the platform was designed for adults, so there are limits to what content safeguards YouTube can put in place for the under-13 audience. Today, we’re stepping in to help by rolling out our SafeFam content certification for YouTubers with young audiences.
SuperAwesome is fundamentally a kidtech company, whose technology is used to make the digital media ecosystem safer for kids, content owners and brands – so SafeFam is a new and exciting direction for us.
There were two motivations for creating SafeFam:
- As our kidtech and safety standards have been adopted by more and more customers, we get more requests to tackle the YouTube challenges. ‘Can we please do YouTube through SuperAwesome?’ is a common request.
- As we started to research and speak with young YouTubers, and their parents in particular, it became clear that many are desperately looking for more guidance on how to be kid-safe. YouTube has been quick to crack down on the content creators who are openly contravening their rules of use, but they are limited in the guidance they can give to young creators and their fans.
To be absolutely clear: SafeFam is not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube. SafeFam is part of our own mission to improve the digital kids media ecosystem. We are stepping into the grey area of YouTube and under-13s to make it a safer space for everyone.
SafeFam has been designed to empower young content creators, content creators with young audiences and – in many cases – their parents as well. The program allows these content creators to better understand and navigate the digital safety and privacy requirements of the under-13 audience.
SafeFam is voluntary, but you have to be accepted, and our criteria is strict. We’re here for influencers who have always used the YouTube platform with honesty and credibility, aiming to engage their young fans with great content, rather than clickbait.
SafeFam comprises three elements:
- Training on what it means to be brand-safe, kid-safe and the repercussions of not adhering to these principles.
- Reviewing content for brand safety and appropriateness, as well as kid safety, employment laws and parental control.
- Access to SafeFam Support to help with any additional questions and updates for guidelines and best practices as they emerge.
If the content creators are under 16, SafeFam also educates their parents on best practices, such as filming guidelines (maximum session time, no night-time recording etc). SafeFam is as much about protecting the influencers themselves as it is about setting a standard for the content they produce for their young audiences.
We weren’t certain how creators would react to SafeFam when we initially discussed it with them, but the response has been overwhelming.
Today, we’re launching with almost forty content creators representing over 35M subscribers and almost 10B video views. Some of the early SafeFam certified creators include DenisDaily and the rest of The Pals, Superhero Kids, Gabe and Garrett, Grace’s world, Annie Rose, Hope Marie, The Daya Daily, The Fizz Family, The Crafty Girls, Millie and Chloe, Daniela Golubeva and BananaJamana.
This is just the beginning: we are having SafeFam discussions with content creators (and their agencies) every day.
Jamie Jo, of the art-focused channel BananaJamana summed up the essence of SafeFam nicely: “I’ve always strived to make my channel kid-friendly because I want to ensure my content is responsible and can be viewed by all ages. I’m very happy that SafeFam recognises my channel as a safe place parents and brands can trust. I will always put the safety of my younger audience first.”
That’s how we know that SafeFam is necessary: the response from the influencers themselves. We’re reassuring them that they’re doing the right thing, and that we will be there to help and support them if they have questions. And that means that they’ll be able to continue to do what they do best: create inspiring, exciting and original content for their followers.
To find out more about SafeFam, please visit superawesome.tv/safefam
