More than 200 child advocacy groups and experts are demanding that YouTube ban AI-generated "slop" from its kids' platform, citing harm to young viewers and profits for the company.

AI Videos Flood YouTube Kids

On Wednesday, the open letter was organized by the children's advocacy group Fairplay and addressed to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

It was signed by 135 organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers and the American Counseling Association, along with researchers such as Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation.

"AI-generated videos are really just an escalation of a myriad of problems that YouTube already has when it comes to interfacing with kids on their platforms," said Rachel Franz, director of Fairplay's Young Children Thrive Offline program, as reported by Fortune.

She added, "It's important to address this AI slop phenomenon, but it's also equally important to take YouTube to task for the way that its platform is designed to hook users into spending more time in ways that aren't necessarily related to AI."

The videos are often bizarre, repetitive, or nonsensical—cartoon animals performing odd tasks, fake educational content, or hypnotic loops designed to hold attention.

Fairplay estimates top AI slop channels targeting children have earned over $4.25 million annually.

YouTube said it limits AI-generated content in YouTube Kids to high-quality channels, offers parental controls, and is developing AI labels.

"We're actively building on our established systems that have been very successful in combating spam and clickbait, and reducing the spread of low-quality, repetitive content," spokesperson Boot Bullwinkle said.

YouTube Removes AI Content, Warns On Short-Form Videos

Earlier, YouTube removed dozens of AI-generated spam channels, some with millions of views, as Mohan prioritized cutting low-quality automated content.

Analysis by Kapwing found 21% of videos in feeds were AI-generated, highlighting the rise of low-quality content.

YouTube cofounder Steve Chen warned parents that children consuming only short-form videos, like TikTok or Meta Platforms Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:META) Instagram Reels, risked shorter attention spans and addictive viewing habits.

He noted some parents were guiding kids toward longer, less flashy content to protect cognitive development.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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