The New YouTube for Kids App

YouTube is a fantastic online resource. If you need to know how to do something, or you have five minutes spare between meetings, there are millions of videos on YouTube, some useful, and some not so useful. YouTube is also good for kids, but a big concern with many parents is the prevalence of less than wholesome content amongst the cat videos and ‘how to’ tutorials we can’t get enough of, which children may inadvertently stumble across if they are browsing YouTube without parental supervision.

Online videos are increasingly stealing the limelight from television channels and with large numbers of children spurning TV in favour of online video, Google has recognised the value of creating a kid-friendly YouTube.

YouTube for kids is a fantastic new app for children of all ages. The app has been developed from the ground up and is especially designed for little ones.

Keeping Kids Safe

Children using the YouTube Kids’ app to access video content are only shown kid-friendly channels such as National Geographic and Sesame Street. The app accesses Google’s vast database of video content, but it filters out anything it considered to be ‘unsafe’.

How does YouTube Kids Work?

The app is designed to appeal to kids. It is bright, colourful, and easy to use – even for very young children. Children can look for videos on topics they are interested in and learn more about the world at the same time. There are bold icons, simple navigation tools, and even a voice search function for toddlers who can’t type.

Video channels are sorted into four categories: explore, music, shows and learning, which makes searching for specific topics a lot easier.

Special Features

  • The search function can be disabled if you only want your child to see the pre-selected videos on the home screen.
  • The app has parental controls – a built-in timer enables parents to set limits on screen time. It even tells kids when their time is up!
  • Sound settings are adjustable, so if you want a bit peace and quiet, switch off the app’s background music and sound.

The app is free for Android and iOS, although for you can only download it from Google Play and the iTunes App Store if you live in the US.

We contacted the YouTube support to ask about any future plans to roll out the Youtube Kids app to the UK. Unfortunately they could not provide any details at the time about making the app available to a UK market. Be sure to keep a look out for a future post about this.

Google is very excited about their new app and are keen for parents to send them feedback on what they like about the app – and what they think needs improving. To help you do this, the app has a product feedback option. If you do live in the UK and like the idea of the app perhaps this would be a great place to request a UK friendly version.

If you have any feedback  or suggestions about the new app we'd love to hear from you! Why not send us a Tweet @pswebsitedesign.

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