YouTube Kids has recently emerged as a significant source for children to be entertained and learn something new in present-day society. Perhaps, being a parent or a guardian, you may ask how to make YouTube safe for children and yet make them get to watch what they would love. Despite the efforts and measures taken to create a tailored application for children’s use, it is essential to know its features and disadvantages to get the best of the application’s usage.

In order to have safe and informative viewing on YouTube Kids, parents should be informed about the features of the parental control, content moderation as well as the algorithm used by the platform. This guide will explain how to establish restrictions, track the watch history, and find an additional way to use the application to expand a child’s knowledge.

Understanding YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids is a dedicated app designed specifically for children, offering a safer and more controlled environment compared to the main YouTube platform. It provides a curated selection of age-appropriate videos, channels, and content tailored to the interests and developmental stages of young viewers.

How it differs from regular YouTube

Unlike the regular YouTube app or website, YouTube Kids features a more restricted and filtered content library. The videos available on YouTube Kids undergo a combination of algorithmic filtering, human review, and expert curation to ensure they meet the app’s quality principles and are suitable for children. This process helps exclude potentially inappropriate or unsuitable content.

Target age groups

YouTube Kids offers three distinct content settings based on age groups:

1. Preschool (Ages 4 & under): Designed with the youngest viewers in mind, this setting provides content specifically curated for preschoolers, focusing on educational and entertaining videos suitable for their developmental stage.
2. Younger (Ages 5–8): This setting caters to the interests and needs of early elementary school-aged children, offering a wider range of content, including shows, music, and educational videos appropriate for this age group.
3. Older (Ages 9–12): The Older setting expands the content library to include videos and channels suitable for pre-teens and tweens, such as gaming content and more advanced educational material.

Content categories

Within YouTube Kids, you’ll find various content categories to explore:

1. Shows: Includes kid-friendly programming from popular YouTube creators, family media networks, and beloved characters.
2. Music: Features nursery rhymes, kid-friendly covers, dance tutorials, and sing-alongs.
3. Learning: Offers content promoting active learning, such as ABCs, numbers, science experiments, and language learning.
4. Explore: Encourages children to explore the world around them, develop new hobbies, and delve into topics of interest.
5. Gaming: Showcases content featuring kids’ favorite video games and gamers (only available in the Older content setting).
6. Shared: Displays channels and videos you’ve shared with your child from YouTube.
7. Watch it again: Highlights videos your child has previously watched and may want to revisit.
8. Downloads: Allows you to access downloaded videos for offline viewing (requires a YouTube Premium membership or availability in certain regions).

These categories are designed to help children discover content aligned with their interests and developmental stages while providing a more controlled and age-appropriate viewing experience.

Navigating Parental Controls

YouTube Kids offers a range of parental controls to help you curate a safe and enriching viewing experience for your children. Here’s how you can navigate these controls:

Setting up Child Profiles

You can create separate profiles for each child in your household, allowing you to tailor the app’s content and settings to their specific age and interests. To set up a profile:

1. Open the YouTube Kids app and sign in with your account.
2. Tap the “Lock” icon and enter your parent account password.
3. Select “Settings” and then “Create a new profile.”
4. Enter your child’s name and birth month/year.
5. Choose the appropriate content setting: Preschool (ages 4 and under), Younger (ages 5-8), or Older (ages 9-12).

Each child’s profile will have its own viewing preferences, recommendations, and watch history, ensuring a personalized experience tailored to their age and interests.

Content Approval Options

YouTube Kids offers different content approval options to give you control over what your child can access:

1. Preschool, Younger, or Older Settings: These pre-curated content levels filter videos based on your child’s age range, allowing them to explore age-appropriate content.
2. Approve Content Yourself: This setting lets you manually approve specific videos, channels, or collections for your child to watch. With this option, your child can only access the content you’ve explicitly approved.

To enable the “Approve Content Yourself” setting, go to your child’s profile settings, select “Approved Content Only,” and start approving desired content by tapping the “+” icon.

Managing Search Settings

The Search feature in YouTube Kids allows your child to explore new videos and topics. However, you can choose to disable this feature if you prefer to limit their viewing to pre-approved content:

1. Open the YouTube Kids app and tap the “Lock” icon.
2. Enter your parent account password and select “Settings.”
3. Choose your child’s profile and toggle off the “Allow searching” option.

With Search disabled, your child will only have access to videos, channels, and collections verified by YouTube Kids or approved by you. This can help create a more controlled viewing environment.

Remember, while YouTube Kids strives to provide a safe space, parental involvement and oversight are important for ensuring your child’s online safety and well-being.

Addressing Safety Concerns

While YouTube Kids aims to provide a safe and serene environment for children, it’s essential to be aware of potential risks and take proactive measures to address safety concerns.

Potential risks

Despite YouTube’s efforts to filter and moderate content, some inappropriate videos may still slip through the cracks. These videos can contain unsuitable visuals, audio, or themes that may negatively impact your child’s well-being. Exposure to such content can lead to increased stress, anxiety, or even feelings of depression in young viewers.

Moreover, certain challenges or pranks on YouTube may encourage risky or dangerous behavior, putting your child’s safety at risk. This means you have to monitor the content your child consumes and promptly address any concerning videos.

Reporting inappropriate content

If you come across an inappropriate video on YouTube Kids, you can help make the platform safer for everyone by reporting it. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Watch page of the video you want to report.
2. Tap the “More” icon in the upper corner of the video player.
3. Select “Report.”
4. Choose the reason for reporting the video (Inappropriate visuals, Inappropriate audio, or Other).

Once you report an inappropriate video while signed in, it is automatically blocked in the YouTube Kids app. Reported videos are reviewed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and will be removed from the app if necessary.

Enhancing the Learning Experience

Beyond providing a safe viewing environment, YouTube Kids offers numerous opportunities to enhance your child’s learning experience. By carefully selecting age-appropriate educational videos and integrating them with other learning activities, you can foster critical thinking skills and promote active learning.

Selecting age-appropriate educational videos

YouTube Kids features a dedicated “Learning” category that offers a wealth of educational content. From ABCs and numbers to science experiments and language learning, you can find videos tailored to your child’s age and interests. Explore this category and have a playlist of engaging and informative videos that align with your child’s current learning goals or areas of curiosity.

When selecting educational videos, consider the following:

1. Age-appropriateness: Ensure the content is suitable for your child’s developmental stage and aligns with their comprehension level.
2. Quality and accuracy: Look for videos created by reputable educational channels or trusted sources to ensure the information presented is accurate and reliable.
3. Interactivity: Opt for videos that encourage participation, whether through questions, activities, or prompts for further exploration.
4. Diversity: Expose your child to a variety of topics, perspectives, and learning styles to nurture their curiosity and broaden their horizons.

Integrating YouTube Kids with other learning activities

While educational videos can be valuable learning resources, they should not be the sole source of instruction. To maximize the learning experience, integrate YouTube Kids videos with other hands-on activities and discussions.

1. Follow-up activities: After watching an educational video, engage your child in related activities, such as experiments, crafts, or games, to reinforce the concepts learned and encourage practical application.
2. Discussions: Initiate conversations about the video’s content, asking open-ended questions to encourage critical thinking and facilitate deeper understanding.
3. Supplementary resources: Complement the videos with additional learning materials, such as books, apps, or online resources, to provide a well-rounded learning experience.

Encouraging critical thinking skills

While educational videos can be informative, you also need to encourage your child to think critically about the content they consume. Here are some strategies to promote critical thinking:

1. Ask open-ended questions: Instead of yes/no questions, ask your child questions that require them to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information from the video. For example, “Why do you think that happened?” or “What would you do differently in that situation?”
2. Challenge assumptions: Encourage your child to question certainties or assumptions presented in the videos. Ask them to provide evidence or reasoning to support their beliefs or opinions.
3. Explore different perspectives: Expose your child to diverse viewpoints and encourage them to consider multiple perspectives on a topic, fostering empathy and open-mindedness.
4. Encourage problem-solving: Present your child with hypothetical scenarios or problems related to the video’s content and encourage them to propose solutions or alternative approaches.

By selecting age-appropriate educational videos, integrating them with other learning activities, and encouraging critical thinking skills, you can transform YouTube Kids from a mere entertainment platform into a powerful educational tool that nurtures your child’s intellectual growth and curiosity.

Conclusion

YouTube Kids offers a safer, more controlled environment for children to explore digital content. By understanding the app’s features, using parental controls, and staying vigilant about potential risks, parents can create a positive viewing experience for their kids. This approach allows children to benefit from educational videos while developing critical thinking skills.