A lot of kids love watching videos on YouTube, so it seemed like a natural fit to create YouTube Kids just for little fans of the online video service. What’s YouTube Kids? Is YouTube Kids safe? Here is some useful information from MiniTool Video Converter that can help you get to know YouTube Kids better.
What Is YouTube Kids
As the name suggests, YouTube Kids is a video app and website for children developed by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. The app provides a version of the service oriented solely towards children, with curated selections of content, parental control features, and filtering of videos deemed inappropriate for viewing by children under the age of 13.
The content of YouTube Kids includes Shows, Music, Learning, and Explore.
- Shows: some popular cartoon clips and episodes.
- Music: contemporary active children’s songs.
- Learning: education-focused videos.
- Explore: a variety of user-created and kid-friendly content.
YouTube Kids allows you to create separate user profiles for your children. You can also select age-specific individual content settings based on your child’s age:
- Preschool (Ages 4 and under)
- Younger (Ages 5-8)
- Older (Ages 9-12)
Even though the algorithms choose kid-friendly videos based on age groups, many inappropriate videos and content are also being seen by kids. This phenomenon leads to a question: Is YouTube Kids safe? Let’s take a closer look below.
Is YouTube Kids Safe
Is YouTube Kids safe for kids? In fact, YouTube itself admits that it’s not perfect. That’s because there’s a chance that the content on YouTube Kids may be inappropriate for kids’ age, or even completely inappropriate for children to view. But as one of the most popular apps for children, YouTube Kids aims to provide a safer and simpler place for kids to explore their interests through online videos and has parental control to make YouTube Kids safer.
How to Make YouTube Kids Safer
Turn Search off
Parents can deactivate the search function to restrict their kids’ access to YouTube Kids channels and content. But this operation is not absolute isolation, and inappropriate videos can sometimes slip through the cracks.
Use ‘approved content only’ Mode
You can use this feature to limit your kids watching videos that you’ve approved and hand-picked.
Set & Limit Screen Time
Parental control for YouTube Kids allows you to set an individual screen time limit for each kid’s profile in the settings. You can set a limit (up to one hour) for your child’s use of the app. This option is only available for the YouTube Kids mobile app on Android and iOS.
Check Viewing History
Once a child’s profile is set up, you can clear the history at any time, and you can also access it when you visit their profile.
Pause Watch History
You can also pause watch history at the bottom of the screen, which will stop YouTube Kids from suggesting new videos to children using video browsing or search criteria.
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Conclusion
Is YouTube Kids safe? Not, exactly. Kids have very little self-control and such a virtual world can be difficult to navigate. However, a blanket ban on online activities is not the answer, as many positive aspects of the internet can benefit children. With the right guidance and support, we can help make their journey more meaningful and enjoyable. YouTube Kids can provide a lot of fun, and education for kids. It’s relatively safe to use and offers plenty of parental controls that you should take advantage of.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Libur is always willing to try new things and full of enthusiasm for life. At the same time, she is passionate about making fantastic movies. Now, she has become an English editor about multimedia in MiniTool. She is good at writing articles about video editing, video conversion, and screen recording. During her spare time, Libur loves climbing mountains and listening to music. By the way, her favorite singer is Taylor Swift.