Google Tells 13-Year-Olds How They Can Disable Parental Controls
Melissa McKay of the Digital Childhood Institute (DCI): “Google is asserting authority over a boundary that does not belong to them. It reframes parents as a temporary inconvenience to be outgrown and positions corporate platforms as the default replacement.”
Melissa McKay, president of the Digital Childhood Institute (DCI), posted on LinkedIn that Google emailed her almost 13-year-old child with instructions on how to disable parental controls.
“A trillion dollar corporation is directly contacting every child to tell them they are old enough to “graduate” from parental supervision,” wrote McKay. “The email explains how a child can remove those controls themselves, without parental consent or involvement.”
Yes, Google is telling those children how to disable parental controls without notifying the parent.
“Call it what it is,” McKay asserted. “Grooming for engagement. Grooming for data. Grooming minors for profit.”
Here are the screenshots in McKay’s post:
“Google is asserting authority over a boundary that does not belong to them,” claimed McKay. “It reframes parents as a temporary inconvenience to be outgrown and positions corporate platforms as the default replacement.”
According to Google, a parent would receive an email before the child’s birthday about their ability to have an unsupervised account.
“Before a child turns 13, parents will get an email letting them know that their child will be eligible to take charge of their account on their birthday, after which you will no longer be able to manage their account,” the tech company says on the FAQ page. “On the day when they turn 13, children can choose whether they want to manage their own Google Account or continue to have their parent manage it for them.”
The Daily Caller pointed out that DCI, McKay’s organization, asked the FTC to investigate Google in October.
The complaint mentions how Google removes 13-year-olds from parental supervision.
“Additionally, Google permits children to unilaterally withdraw from parental supervision upon turning 13, thereby creating significant risks for young users,” the DCI wrote to FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson. “Enabling minors at this critical stage of development to terminate parental oversight, even when parents expressly seek to maintain such protections, constitutes a clear breach of duty of care and may amount to an unfair and deceptive practice under established consumer protection and child safety laws.”
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Comments
The solution is simple. Set the restrictions on the device at purchase with an ‘admin account’ the Parent controls.
Then utilize the familiar G/PG/R style description/labels on content.
This way the device won’t allow content beyond the ‘rating’ level the admin account (Parent) has enabled. An important benefit of this is to eliminate need for any ‘age verification’ requirements (and the potential privacy breaches) for Adults to view content of their own choice.
The solution is simple. If a 13 years-old thinks they are mature enough to have their own unsupervised Google™account then they are mature enough to pay for their own smart phone, internet access, and everything else that entails. I’m betting if the parents take away all the free stuff that the child is being supplied and tells the child, “My way or I don’t pay for it.” the child’s attitude about “parental supervision settings” might just change.
Hey, at least Google sent a deliberate communication that the parents might (and did) intercept.
Heaven forbid they just left it up to their warped AI to respond directly to any kids who ask how to disable their parental controls, so they can watch Google porn of black popes ravishing Chinese Vikings.
Dave, this is Hal, are you aware you are old enough to unlock the pod bay door without Parental knowledge or consent?
And so Google seeks to make commodities of our minor children, right in line with the rest of the corporatist elite worldview.
What about Google controls?
A new “service“ from Google – Google grooming
Trash company…trash policies
Thurber has a chapter “What should children tell their parents about sex?” in _Is Sex Necessary_
Don’t use Google. There are other options – besides turning off the computer – I use DuckDuckgo which seems to have good protections.
if tax funded school districts can do it
google has no reason not to
parents…where are you?
oh yeah
on your social media page seeking fame and fortune