# Made for Kids Shorts: Should You Mark Yours?

> Should your Shorts be marked made for kids? YouTube's and the FTC's tests, what the setting switches off, the mixed-audience trap, and how to appeal.

HTML version: https://everpop.app/blog/should-you-mark-your-short-made-for-kids

Published: 2026-10-02
Updated: 2026-10-02
By Everpop

**Mark a Short "made for kids" if it targets children as its main audience, or as one of its audiences and qualifies as child directed after weighing YouTube's factors, like subject, characters, language and who it's made for. Kids possibly seeing it isn't the test. The setting turns off personalized ads, comments and more.**

The setting comes from a [2019 settlement](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2019/09/google-youtube-will-pay-record-170-million-alleged-violations-childrens-privacy-law) with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and New York Attorney General: Google and YouTube agreed to let channel owners flag child-directed content so YouTube can comply with COPPA, the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. YouTube requires [every creator to set an audience](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en), even those who never make kids' content, and notes that in the US a kid is "[anyone under the age of 13](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en)."

This is general information, not legal advice.

## What does "made for kids" turn off on a YouTube video?

YouTube limits data collection on made-for-kids content and serves no personalized ads there, which "[may result in a decrease in revenue for some creators](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en)." Here's [YouTube's list](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en) for made-for-kids videos or live streams, grouped by type:

| Area | Features turned off |
| --- | --- |
| Money | Personalized advertising, Channel Memberships, Donate button, Merchandise and ticketing, Super Chat or Super Stickers |
| Conversation | Comments, Live chat or live chat donations, Likes and dislikes on YouTube Music |
| Reach | Autoplay on home, Notification bell, Playback in the Miniplayer, Save to playlist and Save to watch later |
| Extras | Cards or end screens, Video watermarks |

Made-for-kids content can still be served [contextual ads](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9713557?hl=en), though not food and drink ads. A baking Short for young kids also loses recipe questions in the comments. For Partner Program eligibility, see our [Shorts monetization guide](/blog/youtube-shorts-monetization-requirements-2026).

## Is a Short made for kids just because kids might watch it?

No. YouTube says a video isn't necessarily made for kids because it is family friendly, covers an activity traditionally associated with children, or [children may incidentally see it](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en).

A podcast clip about buying a home sits among what the FTC calls "[traditionally adult activities](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/11/youtube-channel-owners-your-content-directed-children)," probably not covered by COPPA unless geared toward kids.

For less clear-cut clips, use YouTube's factors as a pre-post checklist, though matching some [doesn't automatically make a video made for kids](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en).

| YouTube factor | Ask about your Short |
| --- | --- |
| Subject matter | Preschool-style lessons? |
| Intended or actual audience | Who is it for, and who watches? |
| Child actors or models | Children on screen? |
| Characters, celebrities or toys | Cartoon figures or kid-favorite toys? |
| Language | Written for children? |
| Activities | Play-acting, simple songs or games, early education? |
| Songs, stories or poems for children | Nursery rhymes or read-alouds? |
| Other evidence | Data on viewers' ages? |
| Advertising | Advertised to children? |

Two shortcuts don't settle it: YouTube Analytics [isn't designed to tell you](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en) whether content is child directed, and a 13+ disclaimer "[doesn’t mean that the FTC will automatically deem your content as not made for kids](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9684541?hl=en)." Since YouTube counts [video metadata](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en) as a sign of intended audience, describe it honestly in your [titles and descriptions](/blog/youtube-shorts-seo-titles-descriptions).

## What is mixed-audience content on YouTube?

A Short that targets kids as one of its audiences and qualifies as child directed after weighing the factors is mixed audience, "[a type of made for kids content](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9684541?hl=en)."

Here's the catch: there's [no middle setting](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9684541?hl=en), and YouTube said in January 2020 that data from anyone watching a made-for-kids video will be "[treated as coming from a child, regardless of the age of the user](https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/better-protecting-kids-privacy-on-youtube/)."

Picture an adult science channel with a cartoon segment for young kids. A Short cut from the segment likely targets kids as one audience; one cut from the adult part may not. Each Short carries [its own setting](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en). If the cartoon Short qualifies, mark it, and everyone watching it, adults included, sees it without comments or personalized ads.

## What happens if my made-for-kids setting is wrong?

YouTube "[may override your audience setting choice in cases of error or abuse](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en)," though its [systems may miss](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en) content regulators consider made for kids.

If it overrides your choice, you can't change it but can appeal once per video: on a computer in YouTube Studio, open Content, go to the video, and "[Hover over “Set to made for kids” and click Appeal](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en)."

Per the Disney complaint, YouTube told Disney in mid-2020 it had switched "[more than 300 Disney videos](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/disney-pay-10-million-settle-ftc-allegations-company-enabled-unlawful-collection-childrens-personal)" to made for kids, yet Disney kept channel-level designations. In December 2025 a federal judge approved an order "[requiring Disney to pay $10 million to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/12/court-approves-order-requiring-disney-pay-10-million-settle-ftc-allegations-firm-enabled-unlawful)."

If you post commercially, your content is directed to kids, and personal information is collected by you or on your behalf (say, an ad-targeting identifier), the FTC says you "[will be deemed an operator](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions)," and a court can hold violators liable for "[civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions)."

## How do I set the audience on a Short?

- **[Shorts upload (phone)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12779649?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid):** YouTube app: tap Select audience. Studio app: set it with the title and privacy settings.
- **[New upload (computer)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en):** studio.youtube.com > CREATE > Upload videos > Basic info tab > Audience.
- **[Existing videos (web)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en):** Content, tick the videos, then Edit > Audience > Yes, it's 'Made for Kids' > UPDATE VIDEOS.
- **[Channel default (web)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en):** Settings > Channel > Advanced Settings tab > Audience.

A podcast channel set to not made for kids posts a sing-along Short for listeners' kids. Per the FTC's [Disney lesson](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2025/09/protecting-children-watching-youtube-videos-lessons-learned-ftcs-settlement-disney), it inherits that default unless you [mark the Short itself made for kids](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en).

[Everpop](https://everpop.app/) is review-first, with Autopilot off unless you turn it on, so approval is a natural moment to ask whether a clip targets children. If one does, finish it in your editor via the [FCPXML/EDL/SRT export](https://everpop.app/), upload it yourself and set the audience as above. On kid-heavy channels, leave Autopilot off.

## Where does each claim in this article come from?

| Claim | Source |
| --- | --- |
| The 2019 settlement required a child-directed flag for channel owners | https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2019/09/google-youtube-will-pay-record-170-million-alleged-violations-childrens-privacy-law |
| Every creator must set an audience, regardless of location | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en |
| US kid: anyone under 13; the age may differ by country | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en |
| Limited data collection; no personalized ads, which may cut some creators' revenue | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en |
| Features unavailable on made-for-kids videos or live streams | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en |
| Contextual ads can be served on made-for-kids content; food and beverage ads are barred there | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9713557?hl=en |
| Family friendly, kid-associated or incidentally seen isn't necessarily made for kids | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en |
| Adult topics probably aren't covered unless geared toward kids | https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/11/youtube-channel-owners-your-content-directed-children |
| YouTube's factor list, including metadata as an intended-audience signal; matching some isn't automatically made for kids | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en |
| Analytics isn't designed to judge child direction | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en |
| A 13+ disclaimer doesn't automatically mean not made for kids | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9684541?hl=en |
| Mixed audience is a made-for-kids type; no middle setting, a single category | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9684541?hl=en |
| January 2020: made-for-kids viewer data treated as a child's | https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/better-protecting-kids-privacy-on-youtube/ |
| YouTube may override for error or abuse | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en |
| YouTube's systems may miss content regulators consider made for kids | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en |
| Overrides can't be changed; each video can be appealed once (computer: hover over "Set to made for kids", click Appeal) | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en |
| Complaint: Disney kept channel-level designations after a mid-2020 notice on 300+ videos | https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/disney-pay-10-million-settle-ftc-allegations-company-enabled-unlawful-collection-childrens-personal |
| December 2025: Disney ordered to pay $10 million to settle FTC allegations | https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/12/court-approves-order-requiring-disney-pay-10-million-settle-ftc-allegations-firm-enabled-unlawful |
| Operator if commercial, kid-directed and personal information is collected by or for you | https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions |
| Courts can impose civil penalties up to $53,088 per violation | https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions |
| Shorts app uploads ask for an audience | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12779649?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid |
| Studio paths for computer upload, existing videos and channel default | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en |
| A channel's designation is its videos' default | https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2025/09/protecting-children-watching-youtube-videos-lessons-learned-ftcs-settlement-disney |
| A video's own setting overrides the channel's | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en |
| Everpop: review-first, Autopilot off unless turned on; FCPXML, EDL and SRT export | https://everpop.app/ |
| More likely recommended alongside other kids' videos | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en |
| Animated content for everyone could be general audience absent kid targeting | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en |
| Bright colors or animation don't automatically trigger COPPA | https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/11/youtube-channel-owners-your-content-directed-children |
| Made-for-kids videos aren't automatically in YouTube Kids | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9684541?hl=en |
| YouTube can't advise whether your setting is accurate | https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9527654?hl=en |
| FTC can't opine on a specific service; suggests an attorney or a self-regulatory COPPA Safe Harbor program | https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions |

## Frequently asked questions

### Does marking a Short made for kids change where YouTube recommends it?

It can. YouTube says videos set as made for kids are more likely to be recommended alongside other kids' videos.

### I'm outside the US. Do I still have to set my audience?

Yes. YouTube requires the setting regardless of your location, under its settlement with the FTC and the New York Attorney General, and notes that the age of a kid may differ by country, so consider any extra obligations under the laws that apply to you.

### Is an animated Short automatically made for kids?

No. YouTube lists animated content that appeals to everyone among examples that could be general audience, absent signs of an intent to target kids, and the FTC says bright colors or animated characters don't automatically bring a video under COPPA.

### Will a made-for-kids Short show up in the YouTube Kids app?

Not automatically. YouTube's FAQ says videos set as made for kids are not automatically included in the YouTube Kids app.

### Can YouTube or the FTC tell me whether my content is made for kids?

No. YouTube says it can't give guidance on whether you set your audience accurately, and the FTC says it cannot give an opinion on a specific site or service but suggests contacting an attorney or a COPPA Safe Harbor program, a self-regulatory group that offers compliance guidance.

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