The popular streaming service Netflix will soon introduce a new option for kids that will promote kids’ movies and TV shows using brief video snippets, similar to those found on TikTok.
The “Kids Clips” feature, which will be available on Netflix’s iOS app, will highlight brief clips of children’s media from the service’s archive, the company told Bloomberg.
According to Bloomberg, Netflix is ready to roll out the feature this week in nations like the US, Canada, and Australia. The company intends to limit minors to seeing 10 or 20 of these clips at a time.
Companies in the tech and social media sectors have been battling for the interest of young users by releasing new apps and initiatives tailored exclusively to their needs. YouTube for Kids, which provides parents more control over what their children can watch and weeds out material that isn’t family-friendly, was introduced in 2015.
With a children’s version of its photo-based Instagram programme, Facebook, which just changed its name to Meta, attempted to follow suit. When a whistleblower released internal documents and claimed the corporation knew its platforms were affecting young teenagers, it faced backlash and decided to halt development.
Similar features of TikTok, which made short, snappy videos shot on mobile phones popular, have also been created by Instagram and YouTube. The US versions of YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, which use features almost identical to those of TikTok, were published in March and August of last year, respectively.
The safety of a child and teen users on Big Tech’s social media and video platforms has regularly come under scrutiny from lawmakers and parents. Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts said, “The problem is plain – Big Tech preys on children and teens to gain more money,” at a congressional hearing last month, according to TIME.
As a Chinese eSports team unexpectedly won the “League of Legends” World Championship on Saturday, throngs of jubilant gamers poured into the streets of China, waving flags and chanting loudly through the night.
The final, which was streamed live from Reykjavik, Iceland, saw Shanghai-based Edward Gaming defeat tournament favourites Dam won Gaming, a Korean powerhouse squad that won the yearly competition the previous year, 3-2.
The duel between Edward Gaming and Damwon Gaming received a lot of media interest in China. According to state media, there are more than 400 million eSports aficionados in the nation. Social media videos depict throngs of people cramming malls and public spaces to watch the games.
“EDG! Niu bi!” A group of people sang. Slang meaning “cow’s vagina,” “niu bi,” has developed into a term of honour, particularly in Chinese online gaming.
