Google going child friendly for 2015

New versions of Google search, YouTube and possibly the Chrome browser re-designed for pre-teen users are in development and are scheduled to go live next year.

New versions of Google search, YouTube and possibly the Chrome browser re-designed for pre-teen users are in development and are scheduled to go live next year.

Speaking to USA Today, Pavni Diwanji, a Google vice president of engineering, revealed that the motivation behind the child-friendly revamp is that an increasing amount of Google employees are becoming parents.

'We want to be thoughtful about what we do, giving parents the right tools to oversee their kids' use of our products,' she said. 'We want kids to be safe, but ultimately it's about helping them be more than just pure consumers of tech, but creators, too.'

What Google means by kid-friendly isn't exactly clear, but in the US, FCC laws state that without parental consent, it is illegal to track a pre-teen child's internet activity.

'We expect this to be controversial, but the simple truth is kids already have the technology in schools and at home,' said Diwanji of the plans. 'So the better approach is to simply see to it that the tech is used in a better way.'

Although Google has only confirmed its intentions this week, reports have been surfacing for some time regarding the tech company's plans to improve its services for families. For example, back in March, The Information reported that the company had been approaching a number of video producers about developing a child-safe, more parent-friendly version of YouTube.