FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 28, 2026

Contact: Ashwin Verghese, Communications Director, [email protected], 508-263-0289

Statement on YouTube’s Pledge to Clearly Label AI Videos

Rachel Franz, Fairplay’s Young Children Thrive Offline Program Director, released the following statement today:

“While YouTube’s pledge to clearly label AI videos is a step in the right direction, it’s an insufficient way to protect kids from the harms of AI slop. YouTube’s new, more visible labels would only pertain to photorealistic content, not the mesmerizing, animated junk that floods children’s feeds, whose labels will be buried deep in video descriptions less likely to be accessed by the average viewer. What’s more, research shows that disclosures like these are ineffective for kids.

“What children really need is for YouTube to curb the proliferation of ‘Made for Kids’ AI slop and to stop pushing these videos on kids through its algorithmic recommendation system. Until then, YouTube’s announcement is lip service designed to dupe families into believing that it cares about kids’ well-being.”

###

About Fairplay

Fairplay is the leading nonprofit committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children. Fairplay works to enhance children’s well-being by eliminating the exploitative and harmful business practices of marketers and Big Tech. Learn more at www.fairplayforkids.org.