YouTube Kids offers a safe and engaging platform designed specifically for children, fostering their creativity and playfulness through a curated selection of family-friendly videos. This app provides a more controlled environment where kids can explore a wide range of topics, from their favorite shows and music to educational content like how to build a model volcano or make slime.
Ensuring a safer online experience, YouTube Kids employs a combination of automated filters, human review, and parental feedback to screen content. Despite these efforts, the platform continuously works to enhance its safeguards and introduce new features that help parents tailor the experience to their family's needs.
Parental Controls on YouTube Kids empower parents and caregivers to customize their child's viewing experience. They can set screen time limits to encourage a healthy balance between watching and other activities. Parents can also monitor what their children are watching by reviewing the "watch it again" page, and they have the ability to block specific videos or entire channels they find unsuitable. Additionally, they can flag any content they deem inappropriate for further review.
YouTube Kids allows for personalized experiences by enabling the creation of up to eight individual kid profiles. Each profile can have its own viewing preferences, video recommendations, and settings. Parents can opt for the "Approved Content Only" mode, where they manually select the videos, channels, and collections their child can access. Alternatively, they can choose from preschool, younger, or older modes, which are tailored to different age groups and interests, covering topics like songs, cartoons, crafts, popular music, and gaming videos.
It's important for parents to set up the app to ensure the best possible experience for their children. Kids may encounter videos with commercial content from YouTube creators, which are not paid ads. The Privacy Notice for Google Accounts managed with Family Link outlines the privacy practices when a child uses YouTube Kids with their Google Account. For those using the app without signing into a Google Account, the YouTube Kids Privacy Notice applies.
Overall, YouTube Kids delivers a safer and more controlled online environment for children. With robust Parental Controls and age-appropriate viewing modes, the app supports parents in guiding their children's digital exploration while providing a diverse array of family-friendly content that encourages learning and fun.
