YouTube Kids is it safe for children? How does it work? And how can you set parental controls and filters? This YouTube-lite app is kid-targeted but can be a bit iffy.
YouTube videos are so popular with kids that Google created a special app for them. And while YouTube Kids offers a colorful, easy-to-navigate environment, a wide range of high-quality videos, parental controls, and fun features for kids, it’s been dogged by concerns over its advertising, branded content, and inappropriate clips slipping through the curation process. YouTube Kids is it right for kids?
YouTube Kids has a fun, friendly interface with silly sound effects and picture-based navigation. It doesn’t look like YouTube. You can browse through YouTube videos tailored to your age by simply swiping left or right. Or, you can scroll through the channels listed at the top. Get more subscribers here: https://getfans.io
What is YouTube Kids?
YouTube Kids is a kid-targeted version of YouTube that features curated, ad-supported TV shows, music, educational videos, and user-created content. It’s designed for kids preschool age to age 12 and is available as an app and a website. YouTube Kids lets you create user profiles for each child so that they can log in to YouTube and view videos tailored to their age. YouTube Kids’ best feature is the timer. This allows you to set a limit for how long your children can play on YouTube Kids (up to one hour).
What kind of videos are available on YouTube Kids?
The channels and videos can be changed due to regular updates. “Shows” includes clips and complete episodes of children’s programming, such as Winnie the Pooh and Thomas and Friends. “Music” clips feature classic and current songs for kids. The Learning section offers access to educational clips from Khan Academy, PBS Kids and TED-Ed. The Explore section contains a wide range of user-created content and toy-related videos. These include many “unboxing” clips. There is also a variety of kid-friendly content as well as channels created and maintained by companies like McDonald’s. Common Sense Media’s 2020 research report shows that most videos children watch are entertainment content and not educational content.
YouTube Kids is it safe?
YouTube Kids is generally safe but it’s possible for kids to see violence, nudity or weird stuff. The study revealed that 27% of YouTube videos are aimed at older audiences. Violence is the most common type of negative content. The app acts as a portal to YouTube and utilizes an algorithm to filter out adult content and channel the kids to it. However, inappropriate videos can pass the algorithm. Google launched the app in 2015. Since then, it has increased its curation efforts. Google uses human monitors to review inappropriate videos and offers “verified” videos that can be viewed and approved by humans. YouTube is a great tool for parents. You can warn your children if they see inappropriate content and block or report them.
YouTube Kids: Are there any ads?
According to our research, 95% of YouTube Kids videos feature advertising. Advertising design can also be problematic. Sidebar ads that are confusing for recommended videos and banner ads that block educational content could lead to sidebar ads. Ads for video games may show doctored versions popular characters. If parents sign up for a YouTube Premium subscription, there are no ads, and kids can watch offline. However, kids can still access branded channels from fast-food or toy companies.
How can I set parental controls on YouTube Kids?
Log in to your Google account to set up parental controls for YouTube Kids. You have the option to create a personal passcode that acts as a master key and allows you to access the settings of the app. Or you can use the random multiplication quiz every time you need to gain access. The quiz is presumably to prevent kids from accessing the app’s settings. Each profile can have up to eight children, with their own avatars and settings. They also have time limits and a passcode that prevents them from accessing each other’s profiles.
You will need to decide whether your child can search the app on their own or rely on the age-based content settings (4-6, 5-7, 8-12), which allow them to access videos that are appropriate for their age. Search is disabled when you select “Approve Content” by yourself. Instead, the app will display video collections that have been approved as appropriate for your age.
You can access all of your profile settings through the lock icon at the top of every screen. They apply immediately to both the app and website.
How can I set YouTube Kids content filters?
YouTube Kids does not offer content filters. You can restrict what your children can see by using the parental controls. The app will show videos according to the age range you have specified. For example, children aged 4-12 years old see more content for early learning, while those aged 8-12 years old see more games videos. You can block videos that you don’t want your children to see if they appear.
YouTube Kids: What age are they?
YouTube Kids is listed in the app store for children aged 4 and over, but Common Sense Media recommends it to children 7 and older. We think that YouTube Kids is not only a nuisance due to ads and commercialism but also because it can be inappropriate for children to view videos with their younger siblings.
YouTube Kids has disturbing videos.
You may have heard about or seen some videos that look like they’re for kids but are clearly not. These videos could feature familiar characters, such as Peppa Pig or Caillou, or may include cartoon graphics like cars and trucks. These videos appear to be kid-friendly and start out normal, but then they become bizarre and even disturbing. Whoever creates these videos — which have been termed YouTube Poop — has figured out how to use tags (the code that helps Google categorize content) to fool the algorithm. YouTube has a lot of trouble with disturbing videos. YouTube is trying to fix the problem by adding more human monitors. But there have been scattered cases of disturbing videos popping up in the kid’s app, including a well-publicized incident of “suicide instructions” spliced in a cartoon video.
YouTube: What are you doing to make YouTube safer for children?
In addition to parental controls, video collections, and turning off search, YouTube has made some policy changes to try to improve the app. YouTube announced that videos flagged on its main YouTube app will be automatically blocked from the Kids app because they are age-restricted. This will remove some producers of strange content from the financial incentive by allowing them to stop serving ads on age-restricted material. Google introduced human monitors to review flagged content and look for disturbing content after concerns were raised about videos that could have made it through the algorithm. The app’s partnership, with content providers like PBS and Kidzbop, further reduces the risk. Parents should still be vigilant and make sure to use the product’s built in controls to ensure that their children have a safe and enjoyable experience.
What should I do if my child sees disturbing content on the internet?
It’s important to monitor and share your media products that contain user-generated content. You can block disturbing videos by reporting them to YouTube. This will prevent the video from surfacing again. YouTube can also be alerted by you to report the video. This will notify YouTube that it contains offensive content and allow them to review it and take it down if necessary.
What alternatives are there to YouTube Kids?
YouTube may be the largest, but it’s not the only fish in this sea. There are streaming video apps that have tighter parental controls and stricter curation.