Almost everyone knows about YouTube, with its seemingly unlimited amount of content available to you on your phone, TV, and computer. But did you know that they also have a version of YouTube dedicated to kids appropriate content? They do, and it's called (surprise) YouTube Kids!
How YouTube Kids works
YouTube Kids lets you easily monitor the content on your child's profile and it keeps age-appropriate content in plain sight. No more having to open your own YouTube account and search for content for your child, thus altering your own YouTube algorithms if you also enjoy using the platform for yourself. It keeps everything separate and puts your child front and center with millions of hours of content that is all appropriate for them to consume. As the parent account, you have the ability to also block certain channels or videos from view if there is content you or your child do not want to see. It's a safe distraction for children but it also allows them to interact with content that is both entertaining and educational!
Setting up an account
To set up a YouTube Kids account, do the following:
1. Go to youtubekids.com on your computer or download the free YouTube Kids app on your phone's app store
2. Select I'm a Parent when asked to start the account creation
3. Follow the steps in setting up your parent account, including signing in or creating your Google account. This is optional but it does give you more parental control access for your child.
4. Select the age group of your child between three options:
- Preschool (Ages 4 or under)
- Younger (Ages 5-8)
- Older (Ages 9-12)
5. Enable or disable the search function for your child's account
6. Brief walkthrough on parental control options for child
7. That's it! Your child is ready to start watching. Depending on the age group you selected earlier, you can see different categories to select from including Shows, Music, Learning, and more!
We hope this helps both you and your child when it comes to safe content consumption. This is also a great opportunity to teach them about technology, especially as they get older.