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Setting up parental controls on YouTube isn’t as hard as you think. The internet can be a weird and unsafe place for kids, but setting up privacy controls, turning on Restricted mode, and making a supervised experience can reduce the likelihood of your kid finding something that may be inappropriate.
If you’re looking for extra support, a parental control app can offer broader protection, not just from inappropriate YouTube content but also from other content across the web.
If you’re looking for tips on protecting your child on YouTube, we have them below.
YouTube offers 3 parental control options to protect your child: Restricted mode, supervised experiences, and YouTube Kids. These allow parents to give their children access to approved content and protect them from everything else. By setting up YouTube’s parental controls, you can set applicable age restrictions and manage settings as your child ages.
One of the most unique features of YouTube parental controls is the limitation of potentially mature content. Users 17 and younger will have limitations on certain content, like social aggression and intimidation, that may be damaging for kids. It can also restrict certain YouTube features, such as live streams, that may not be age-appropriate.
Predatory content on YouTube can expose your child to many online threats. The following YouTube parental control options may help prevent cyberbullying, inappropriate content, malware, and data theft.
Restricted mode allows you to filter out the most extreme content without much configuration. It’s often set by an administrator in offices, schools, and libraries.
Most of what is filtered out with Restricted mode is content considered Not Safe For Work (NSFW), but unfortunately, you don’t have much control over what’s blocked. While strong sexual themes and violence are hidden, your child may still be able to access channels you don’t deem appropriate.
However, it’s a good option for older children. It’s also a good idea to turn on Restricted mode if you’re watching videos with your child on your YouTube account and want to prevent inappropriate suggested videos.
If you’re accessing YouTube on any web browser, here’s how to set up Restricted mode:
These instructions are the same whether you’re on an Android or Apple device:
If you want more customizable control over what your kid accesses, then setting up a YouTube supervised experience will allow you to choose from 3 content categories:
There are multiple ways to create a supervised experience for your child, and you can enable it on all of your household devices. It should be noted that before you set up any supervised account for your child, you’ll need to set up a Google Family Link with an account specifically for them.
On top of the content categories listed above, setting up a YouTube supervised experience will also allow you to customize the following content settings:
YouTube Kids is a separate app from YouTube or YouTube Music and was designed with children’s safety in mind. While the supervised experiences content is generally more for tweens aged 9 and up, the YouTube Kids app has content appropriate for children as young as 4.
The app allows you to create different profiles for each child, set content by age, and even choose screen time limits. You’ll also be able to block certain videos and share content directly with them.
To keep up with what your kids watch, you can review their watch history to check for inappropriate videos. Then, in response to your child’s experience, you can tweak the YouTube Kids account settings.
Filters are set up, and real humans review what's allowed on the platform. YouTube Kids encourages parent feedback and flagging to keep the community safe.
First, you’ll need to verify your adult account with your birthday to show you’re over 18. Then, you’ll need to download the YouTube Kids app or visit the site www.YouTubeKids.com. Once you sign in, you’ll have full access to the platform.
You may want to let your child explore science experiments on YouTube Kids or learn a new dance. However, that doesn’t mean you want them to view all the content on the app, even if it’s considered age-appropriate.
Thankfully, YouTube Kids can block specific channels and fully customize what your child can access.
Make sure you’re signed into your parent account linked to the child’s account. Then you can block specific channels on YouTube Kids by taking the following steps:
Yes, you can manage YouTube through Google’s parental controls via the Family Link option mentioned above. You also have the option to enter Restricted mode, as mentioned above, but that’s a general filter that might not catch everything you want.
Google SafeSearch can help filter or blur images, but you won’t have as robust settings as you’d get with YouTube Kids or Supervised experiences. Still, it will offer another layer of protection to keep your child safe.
There’s a lot involved in using parental controls for YouTube, and that’s just one app. Parental control services can help streamline that and give you more detailed reports on your child’s activity. Services like Bark, Aura, and Norton Family allow the following:
These services are significantly more advanced than simple online protections. If you talk to your children in advance and discuss the need for these services, we think you can come to a healthy arrangement together.
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| Price | Plan costs $14.00/mo | Starts at $8.25/mo (billed annually) | Plans costs $49.99/yr | Learn more | Get Bark Premium | Get Aura Parental Controls | Get Norton Family |
You can restrict age on YouTube through the YouTube Kids app or by setting up a supervised experience for your child. Otherwise, you can use a parental control app to set age limits for content across the internet.
Children from 13 to 17 can open their own channels with parental permission. Technically, if your child is under 13, YouTube doesn’t approve of them having their own channel. If your kids want to try their hand at broadcasting themselves, you can set up a channel that you can monitor by taking the following steps:
Through YouTube Kids you can block certain channels from your child’s account. This means you can restrict them to only watching the content you feel is appropriate.
If you want to restrict the regular YouTube app, you may find it much more difficult. You can hide individual channels, but you’ll want to use the YouTube Kids app for broader controls.
YouTube Kids and supervised experience accounts can make YouTube a safer place for under-13-year-olds. YouTube does issue a warning that, while it has filters and real humans checking, it can’t 100% guarantee security. It still relies on parent feedback to help make the platform safer for children.
YouTube is a free-for-all that isn’t always the best place for your children. At the same time, there’s so much knowledge on the platform that it could be considered the modern-day Library of Alexandria. With parental controls, finding the balance between those two so your child can enjoy it and stay safe becomes a lot easier.
It’s easy to set up restrictions so your child can safely browse the internet, but you’ll get a lot more out of parental control software. These dedicated protection apps extend beyond YouTube to make the internet a safer place.
Robust parental controls to track, monitor, and limit device usage
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