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YouTube Kids is a kid-focused version of YouTube that includes ad-supported TV shows, music, educational videos, and user-created content. It's designed for kids from preschool to age 12. YouTube Kids allows parents/caregivers to create individual user profiles for more than one child so that a child’s account and content are appropriate for their age and interests.
Common Sense Media's Recommended Age for Using YouTube Kids: 7+
YouTube Kids does have limited advertising. Ads will be marked as ‘Ad’ or ‘Sponsored’ and appear before the selected video.
YouTube only shows paid ads that are approved as family-friendly, and all paid ads undergo a rigorous review process for compliance with policies. Paid ads won’t include any click-throughsThe action of following a hypertext link to a particular website, especially a commercial one. to websites or product purchase flowsThe series of steps a customer takes to buy a product, from selecting a product to completing the transaction..
Learn more about YouTube Kids' advertising policies. Interest-based advertising, remarketing, or other tracking pixelsTransparent images or snippets of HTML or JavaScript that are embedded in websites, emails, or ads to track user behavior and gather data. are prohibited in YouTube Kids.
Age-Related Content Filters
This separate app provides content for youth from Pre-School to age 12. Parents/caregivers are able to supervise and curate content playlists for their child.
The app is a filtered version of YouTube and has a much smaller set of channels and videos available than the YouTube app and website. YouTube works to identify content that is age-appropriate, adheres to their quality principles, and is diverse enough to meet the varied interests of kids globally.
The amount of available content changes according to the content setting you choose, which aligns with different ages. Parents can also define profiles for their kids’ viewing to handpick the videos they have access to.
Parents can define profiles for their kids’ viewing, and are able to select one of 3 content settings:
Preschool: Designed with children aged 4 and under in mind
Younger: Designed with children aged 5 – 8 in mind
Older: Designed with children aged 9 – 12 in mind
YouTube’s content policies for YouTube Kids decide what kind of content is eligible for each content setting. When you choose a content setting for your child, they'll see content eligible for that setting. The setting that you choose will impact what they find in searches or in recommended videos. YouTube’s automated systems and human reviewers work to identify suitable content based on the setting that you've selected.
Parents can also hand-pick the content that their child has access to (Approve Content Yourself). If you choose this option, your child can't search. For more info on how to implement this option, refer to the YouTube Kids guide on parental controls and settings.
YouTube uses automated tools (AI) and human reviewers to identify suitable content for each content setting. Not all videos are manually reviewed. If a user finds something inappropriate that was missed, users can block it or report it for fast review.
Default Settings: Privacy
Users do not have the ability to create a channel, upload videos, post/view comments, or interact with other users.
Learn more here about collection & use of information on YouTube Kids.
Feed Controls (E.g., Block, Report, State Not Interested)
Parents can block channels for their child’s YouTube Kids profile using their linked parent account. Users can also block a channel or video directly in the YouTube Kids app.
Parents can also share channels and videos from the YouTube app to their child’s YouTube Kids account. Sharing videos from the YouTube app allows your child to watch videos that aren't normally available on YouTube Kids.
Parents can turn off AutoplayFunctionality that causes a video, audio file, etc. to play automatically, without action from a user. for their child by selecting Disable autoplay in YouTube Family Center. Their child can't turn on Autoplay when this setting is on.
Messaging and Friend Controls
YouTube Kids does not offer private or direct messaging capabilities.
The YouTube Kids app does not allow users to view or post comments on videos.
Nighttime Settings
YouTube Kids does not have nighttime settings.
Notification Settings
YouTube Kids does not have notification settings.
Nudges to Take a Break
YouTube Kids does not have nudges to take breaks.
Parent/Caregiver Supervision Options
YouTube Kids: Parents & caregivers can tailor the YouTube Kids experience for their child by adjusting specific parental controls and settings. These include:
Changing content-level settings
Setting YouTube Kids to approved content only, which allows parents to handpick the content their child can access
Turning off search
Reviewing your child’s watch history
Turning off autoplay
Pausing search and/or watch history
YouTube: With supervised experiences for pre-teens, parents can select a content setting that limits the videos and music that children under the age of 13 can find and play. Supervised accounts also allow parents to change the features that they can use and the default account settings. Learn more here.
Parents and teens can also link accounts to set up a supervised experience for teens on YouTube. When linked, parents can get insights into their teen’s YouTube activity. These insights may spark in-the-moment learning opportunities and conversations about how to safely create on YouTube. Learn more about supervised experiences for teens, and additional tips for parents of teens here.
Families can decide what YouTube experience is best for them. To learn about the differences between a supervised experience on YouTube and the YouTube Kids app, check out this page.
Time Limits
The YouTube Kids built-in timer allows parents to limit screen time by telling children when it's time to stop watching.