The YouTube Kids app does not have any clickable ads[0], so I think the best solution is to bring this same setup to the main app & the website on videos that are marked "For Kids." You can advertise the latest Happy Meal, a new Disney movie, or the latest video game, without letting the user accidentally click a link and begin being tracked.

I do agree that singling out YouTube is strange, but it definitely got people to click.

[0] https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6130541?hl=en

You’ve taken the leap that kids watching YouTube == YouTube kids.

That app was, at least when my kid was in that market, a hobbled app with its own significant problems.

YouTube’s issue here are all about how they funnel kids to profitable content.

Focusing research on one company (which happen to be the biggest video service in the world) is normal. It would tough to ask researchers to never publish until they've gone though every other service provider first.

>so singling out yt is a little weird

What do you mean "singling out"? They're the biggest advertising company in the world.