Whether it’s on a tablet, phone, TV, or laptop, kids love watching videos on YouTube.
However, as the content on YouTube is ‘user generated‘, the website doesn’t have strict control over what is uploaded. Even if the strongest safety settings are put in place, children may be exposed to content that is not suitable for them.
YouTube Kids allows children and young people to watch their favourite videos in one place where they can search for their favourite shows and discover new ones. It uses videos that are uploaded to YouTube and has an algorithm that pulls out appropriate videos for little ones.
Within the platform, users have the options to turn the search function on or off. Search is a good function for older children to have on as they can find content which is interesting to them (e.g. ‘space‘, ‘robot‘, or ‘lego‘) but might be better to switch ‘off’ for younger children.
Top Tips
- Young children should always ask an adult before they start watching videos on the internet.
- Children should be monitored with screen time use, as watching too much TV can hurt their eyes and keep them awake at night.
- Young children should not keep devices that give them access to the internet in their bedrooms.
- Within settings, you can choose your 'Home screen age level' - Pre-School or School Age, which will tailor the videos shown in the app.
- Children should be encouraged to tell a trusted adult if they see something that makes them feel uncomfortable or upset.
- Children should only ever use their correct date of birth when registering with a website or social media platform. This is very important! If a child exaggerates their age to gain access to a site, the safety settings as well as advertising and available help will be geared towards older age groups.
- Always make sure everybody is being creative, learning, and most importantly having fun!