Tag Archives: YouTube Kids

More parental controls available in YouTube Kids starting today

Since we launched YouTube Kids less than two years ago, we’ve seen families across the globe download the app tens of millions of times and rank it consistently among the top 5 apps in the App Store and give it an overall 4+ ranking on Google Play.

Along the way, we’ve also received helpful feedback from parents on how we can make the app even better. Parents have told us they want more control over how their kids watch content in the YouTube Kids app. Today, we’re rolling out a new feature that continues to put parents in the driver’s seat so they can decide what content is right for their family.

Let’s say you don’t want your little one watching a DIY video that shows them how to make gooey slime, or maybe you want them to take a break from watching certain sing-a-long videos. Well, now you can block videos or channels from their experience by signing into the app.

Block videos using the 3 dot menu next to any video or channel



To sign in you will be asked to send yourself a parental consent email.



send-email-ipad.jpg

And the best part is that because you’re logged in, the videos and channels you block in YouTube Kids will remain consistent across all your devices. And as a parent, if you change your mind, you can unblock all restricted videos or channels at once. It’s that easy! This update will be available in: the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malaysia, Philippines, India, and Singapore.

This new feature follows other ways families can already customize their YouTube Kids experience:
  • Learn how the app works: When parents open YouTube Kids, we explain upfront how our systems choose and recommend content and how to flag videos. We also prompt you to make a choice about how broadly you want your child to explore—turn search on to access millions of family-friendly videos, or turn search off to restrict your child’s experience to a more limited set.
  • Timer: Let the app be the bad guy with a built-in timer that lets you limit kids’ screen time. The app alerts your child when the session is over, so you don’t have to.
  • YouTube Kids on the big screen: Watch YouTube Kids as a family on your big screen. Now YouTube Kids is available on your TV, using Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smartTV.
  • Age-based customization: When you first open the app, you can select from three general age groups (preschool, school age or all kids) making the initial home screen reflect videos that may interest children in that age range.
Stay tuned for more to come and in the meantime happy viewing!

Balaji Srinivasan, father of two girls and YouTube Kids Senior Software Engineer, recently watched "Hexaflexagons."

Source: YouTube Blog


YouTube Kids now works with YouTube Red

Back in October we launched YouTube Red, a paid membership that makes everything you love about YouTube even better, with benefits like videos free of paid ads, offline videos, and background play. Since then we’ve heard from families that they’d love the option of these features in the YouTube Kids app. So today we’re excited to say it’s here - the YouTube Kids app now works with YouTube Red in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand!

Parents who sign up for YouTube Red enable a whole new set of features for the family to enjoy, including:
  • Ad-free videos: Let your kids learn and laugh along with their favorite characters without paid ads.
  • Offline videos: In the car or on grandma’s couch—automatically have videos when you need ‘em, even if you don’t have a connection.
  • Uninterrupted music: Keep family sing-alongs going while you use other apps on your phone.
To get started, all parents need is the YouTube Kids app and a YouTube Red membership. Then, just sign in to your YouTube Red account from the parental controls section of the YouTube Kids app and follow a few simple steps. Once that’s done, your little one’s ready to sing and play along with Mother Goose Club or go on an adventure with Talking Tom and his gang.


And we’ve got even more updates to YouTube Kids on the way. Over the next few months we’ll be making some changes to the app that’ll give parents more choice on how to customize the content that appears or doesn’t appear in their YouTube Kids experience.

Until then, we hope you and the family enjoy YouTube Kids with YouTube Red benefits in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand.

If you haven't already, take YouTube Red for a spin with this free 30-day trial.

A.J. Crane, Product Manager, recently watched "Beat the Heat Hacks | LIFE HACKS FOR KIDS" on DreamWorksTV.

Source: YouTube Blog


Welcome the newest member of our family: the YouTube Kids app launches in Canada


For years Canadian families have turned to YouTube to ask questions, explore the world around them, and be entertained from nursery rhymes to the shows we love.  And today people have spent more hours watching Wheels on the Bus on YouTube, than Psy’s Gangnam Style!

Today, we’re launching YouTube Kids in Canada - an app built with parents and children in mind that makes it easier for kids to find videos on topics they want to explore. Since we launched YouTube Kids in the US, it’s been downloaded more than 10 million times by families who rate it among the top kids apps available. This local version of YouTube Kids puts the content we love in Canada front and centre - think  Wild Kratts at the touch of a button and Treehouse Direct on hand to answer tricky questions from curious minds. It’s our first step in reimagining YouTube for families and it’s now available to download for free on Google Play and the App Store. Here are some of the key features:

Bright and playful design
Your 4-year-old may already be a swiping expert, but the app’s design makes it even easier for little thumbs to navigate with larger images and bold icons. And we’ve built in voice search so that even if your child can’t spell or type, they can still find videos of things they’re curious about.

Family-focused content
We’ve built the YouTube Kids app to be a safer version of YouTube, a family-friendly place for kids to explore their imagination and curiosity. You can browse channels and playlists in four categories: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore. Your favourite shows like Teletubbies, HooplaKidz, Thomas the Tank Engine, and National Geographic Kids are in YouTube Kids. You’ll also find popular content from Canadian producers and broadcasters such as Kids' CBC, Super Simple Songs and TVO Kids.

Parental controls
We’ve built options into the app that help you control the experience for your kids and put parents in the driving seat.
  • Learn how the app works: When parents open YouTube Kids, they learn upfront how our systems choose and recommend content and how to flag videos. We always try to make the videos available in the app family-friendly, but no system is perfect. So if you ever find a video you’re concerned about, please flag it. This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone.
  • Search settings: We’ll also prompt you to make a choice about how broadly you want your child to explore - turn search on to access millions of family-friendly videos, or turn search off to restrict your child’s experience to a more limited set. Either way, parents decide the right experience for their family from the get-go.
  • Timer: Let the app be the bad guy with a built-in timer that lets you limit kids’ screen time. The app alerts your child when the session is over, so you don’t have to. (You’re welcome. ;)
  • Sound settings: Sometimes you need a little peace and quiet! You have an option to turn off background music and sound effects, so your kids can keep watching while you catch a breath.
  • Custom passcode: Parents have the ability to set their own passcode, and to access settings and other parental information in the app.
  • Logged out experience: The app is currently a signed-out experience with no ties to an account. We’ve also removed all features that are linked to an account like uploading, sharing, liking, etc.

YouTube Kids on the big screen:
You can now also watch YouTube Kids as a family on your big screen using Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smartTV.

We’re so excited to bring YouTube Kids to Canada, and look forward to your ideas too so that we can better help your family explore, learn and sing along. From our family to yours, happy exploring!
Angela Y. Lin, Head of Kids and Learning for North America, YouTube, recently watched “The Benefits of a Bilingual Brain”

YouTube Kids comes to the UK and Ireland

A world of family-friendly video to explore, created with parents and children in mind

For years, my family and I have watched countless hours of videos on all kinds of topics. We use video to learn and listen to nursery rhymes, to enjoy the shows we love and to ask and answer questions on maths, science, space and beyond … With a world of video in our pockets, there’s a world of possibility and knowledge at our fingertips.


Today, we’re launching YouTube Kids in the UK and Ireland - an app built with parents and children in mind that makes it easier for kids to find videos on topics they want to explore. Since we launched YouTube Kids in the US, it’s been downloaded more than 10 million times by families who rate it among the top kids apps available. This local version of YouTube Kids puts the content we love in the UK and Ireland front and centre - think Captain Barnacles at the touch of a button and CGP Grey on hand to answer tricky questions from curious minds. It’s our first step in reimagining YouTube for families and it’s now available to download for free on Google Play and the App Store. Here are some of the key features:

Bright and playful design
Your 4-year-old may already be a swiping expert, but the app’s design makes it even easier to find Little Baby Bum or the latest video of In The Night Garden. With larger images and bold icons, it’s fast and simple for little thumbs to navigate. And we’ve built in voice search so that even if your child can’t spell or type, they can still find videos of things they’re curious about.

Family-focused content
We’ve built the YouTube Kids app to be a safer version of YouTube, a family-friendly place for kids to explore their imagination and curiosity. You can browse channels and playlists in four categories: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore. Search for videos of particular interest to your family, like why penguins waddle on National Geographic Kids, or watch favorites from Teletubbies, Wallace and Gromit, The Magic Roundabout and Postman Pat. And of course, your kids can watch new series from YouTube channels they already like, including Talking Tom and Friends or find new videos from beloved UK YouTubers like Stampylonghead and his Wonder Quest.

 Parental controls
We’ve built options into the app that help you control the experience for your kids and put parents in the driving seat.


  • Learn how the app works: When parents open YouTube Kids, they learn upfront how our systems choose and recommend content and how to flag videos. We always try to make the videos available in the app family-friendly, but no system is perfect. So if you ever find a video you’re concerned about, please flag it. This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone. 
  • Search settings: We’ll also prompt you to make a choice about how broadly you want your child to explore - turn search on to access millions of family-friendly videos, or turn search off to restrict your child’s experience to a more limited set. Either way, parents decide the right experience for their family from the get-go. 
  • Timer: Let the app be the bad guy with a built-in timer that lets you limit kids’ screen time. The app alerts your child when the session is over, so you don’t have to. (You’re welcome. ;)
  • Sound settings: Sometimes you need a little peace and quiet! You have an option to turn off background music and sound effects, so your kids can keep watching while you catch a breath.
  • Custom passcode: Parents have the ability to set their own passcode, and to access settings and other parental information in the app.
  • Logged out experience: The app is currently a signed-out experience with no ties to an account. We’ve also removed all features that are linked to an account like uploading, sharing, liking, etc.

YouTube Kids on the big screen: 
You can now also watch YouTube Kids as a family on your big screen using Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smart TV.


We’re so excited to bring YouTube Kids to the UK and Ireland, and look forward to your ideas too so that we can better help your family explore, learn and sing along. And so from my family to yours, enjoy!
Posted by Greg Dray, Dad of one and Head of Kids and Learning Partnerships at YouTube, who recently watched TuTiTu's language learning series with his 2 year-old daughter to introduce her to Spanish. Hola!

Source: YouTube UK Blog


More for your family in the YouTube Kids app

It’s been a busy few months for YouTube Kids. In February, we released our app, designed especially for kids, to bring to life the best family-friendly content on YouTube. Since then, families have downloaded YouTube Kids more than 8 million times, consistently ranked YouTube Kids in the top 5 kids apps in the App Store, given an overall 4+ rating on Google Play and watched Stampy Cat explore the world of Minecraft more than 54 million times.

Not bad for a seven-month old.

When we announced the app, we said YouTube Kids was our first step in reimagining YouTube for families. And we’re always looking for ways to make it even better. So today we’re sharing some new ways we're helping parents and kids enjoy the family content they love:

Discover new videos and watch in new ways
  • Watch YouTube Kids on the big screen: Want to enjoy your favorite videos as a family? Now you can, using Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smartTV.
  • Explore new videos with guest-curated playlists: Have a budding scientist or eager explorer on your hands? Find out what videos educators, celebs and other parents recommend with guest-created playlists. Playlists from National Geographic Kids, Kid President, and a girl power-themed playlist from Academy Award®-winning actor Geena Davis are already live—and more are coming soon from YouTube creators including Vsauce and Amy Poehler's Smart Girls.
  • Enjoy new shows: New videos are produced and uploaded to YouTube Kids every day—including exciting original shows and series from HooplaKidz, TuTiTu, SciShow Kids, DreamWorksTV and more.



Features just for parents
  • Learn how the app works: We also want to make it easier to get started using the app. When parents open YouTube Kids, we’ll explain upfront how our systems choose and recommend content and how to flag videos. We’ll also prompt you to make a choice about how broadly you want your child to explore—turn search on to access millions of family-friendly videos, or turn search off to restrict your child’s experience to a more limited set. Either way, parents decide the right experience for their family from the get-go. This will roll out on the app in the coming weeks.
  • Customize your passcode: We’ve also heard some parents prefer a personal passcode, rather than a spelled-out code, so we’ve added this option to access parental controls.



We always try to make the videos available in the app family-friendly, but no system is perfect. So if you ever find a video you’re concerned about, please flag it. This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone.

In fact, many of these updates are a result of the great feedback you’ve given us. As you explore YouTube’s library, from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to learning about the solar system, we’re growing with you. And we’re always excited to hear how we can better help your family explore, learn and sing along.

Posted by Shimrit Ben-Yair, mother of two and YouTube Kids Director of Product Management, who recently enjoyed learning about volcanoes on SciShow Kids and relaxing with Cosmic Kids Yoga’s Calming Playlist with her kids.

Source: YouTube Blog