Parental controls

Every family has a different approach to using technology, exploring online, and setting digital ground rules. That’s why we offer options and controls for parents and caregivers to help them decide which YouTube experience is best for their family.

YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids is a dedicated app built from the ground up with kids in mind. It was launched in 2015 to give kids a safer and simpler place to explore their interests through online video. This separate app is a filtered version of YouTube and has a much smaller set of channels and videos available than the YouTube app and website. This is because we work to identify content that is age-appropriate, adheres to our quality principles, and is diverse enough to meet the varied interests of kids globally.

Millions of viewers use YouTube Kids every week, and we strive to offer ways for all types of parents to create an experience that works best for the individual needs of their child and family. Parents can choose from three age-based content levels (Preschool, Younger, Older) or decide to hand-pick only the videos, channels, and collections of content they want their child to watch.

Supervised experience on YouTube ^beta

In 2021, we launched a new choice for parents who have decided their tweens or teens are ready to explore YouTube with a supervised account. Parents link their child’s Google Account to their own before granting them access to YouTube, and then choose from content settings that generally align with content ratings for pre-teens and older.

The experience looks much like YouTube’s flagship app and website, but with adjustments to the content a child can find and watch, features they can use, default account settings, and ad protections. The experience also works with Family Link, offering additional parental controls to help guide children as they learn, play, and explore online.