With 150 million subscribers on YouTube, Cocomelon is the second-most subscribed children's song channel. Need more proof that YouTube is the premier entertainment platform for kids? But at the same time, there's a lot on YouTube you don't want your kids watching. Well, here's how to add parental controls to YouTube.
There are many ways to make the YouTube Kids app work on Android, iPhone, or desktop devices. However, this doesn't mean limiting YouTube to just educational content. Although we previously published an article about How to use Restricted Mode on YouTube However, in this article we want to focus more on creating a safe space on YouTube for your kids.
Therefore, effective YouTube management ensures that your children have access to appropriate entertainment content designed specifically for them. Here are five ways to add parental controls to YouTube.
1. Use YOUTUBE KIDS to block inappropriate content.
First, we have the YouTube Kids app. Developed by Google, it features only entertainment content specifically designed for children. Furthermore, the user interface is also child-friendly, requiring a parent to set up and configure the app. It's available on iPhone and Android devices, and you can use it on a web browser on Windows and Mac computers.
Once you start using YouTube Kids, you can choose from multiple content types, such as learning, music, shows, and animated content featuring animals. Furthermore, you can also set a passcode so that only you, as a parent, can open it. Therefore, you can use the links below to use YouTube Kids on any of your devices.
Download YouTube Kids on Android
Download YouTube Kids on iPhone/iPad
Use YouTube Kids on a web browser
However, if you feel your child is old enough to use YouTube Kids, you can allow them to watch the regular version of YouTube, albeit with some restrictions. Here's how.
2. Enable Restricted Mode on YouTube
YouTube has a restricted mode that hides content that is not safe for adults. Therefore, enabling this option will definitely help when your children are watching YouTube. When restricted mode is enabled on YouTube, the following types of content will not be shown:
- Drug and alcohol abuse.
- Sexual activities.
- Violence – acts of violence, natural disasters, and tragedies.
- Mature themes (war, crime, political conflict) that result in death or serious injury.
- Vulgar, inappropriate and mature language.
- Inciting or offensive content.
Once you enable Restricted Mode, you can ensure that only appropriate content is accessible to your children.
Enable Restricted Mode on YouTube on iPhone and Android
Step 1: Open an app YouTube.
Step 2: select icon Profile in the upper right corner.
Step 3: After that, press Settings.
Step 4: On the setup page, tap general.
Step 5: Turn on the switch to the mode Content Restriction.
Enable YouTube Restricted Mode on a Web Browser
Step 1: Open YouTube on your web browser.
Step 2: Click on your profile icon in the upper right corner and click Content Restriction Mode.
Step 3: Now, run switch To activate content restriction mode.
Next, let's see how we can supervise your child's YouTube account.
3. Set parental controls on the YouTube app
Google allows parents to create an account for their children. Once you create one, you'll be able to set some restrictions on the YouTube app. Here's how.
Step 1: Create Google account For your child. Use the link below to create an account. Enter all relevant details for your child.
Create a Google Account for your child
Step 2: Sign in to YouTube On your child's device using your child's newly created Google Account.
You can click profile icon In the upper right corner of the mobile app to log in or use the button Login on the desktop.
Step 3: On your (parent's) device, sign in to YouTube with Account which you linked when creating your child's account.
Step 4: Click on the profile icon and select Settings.
Step 5: Click on Parental SettingsIf you are using a web browser, you will see the option “Manage settings for your children” ،
Step 6: Locate Your child's accountThe settings you make here will apply to your child's account and the device they use YouTube on.
Step 7: Select whether you want to supervise YouTube Kids or the regular version of YouTube. Then tap next one.
Step 8: If you specify YouTube Kleds, you can choose from the list Options To moderate content.
Step 9: If you specify Regular version of YouTube You can choose from the list Options To moderate content.
Depending on what you choose, only relevant content will be shown to your kids on YouTube.
However, you can add screen time restrictions to the YouTube app on your device. Here's how.
4. Set screen time restrictions for YouTube
you may Set Screen Time on iPhone As well as devices Android To limit the use of a specific app. Although this is primarily intended to help users maintain their digital well-being, you can also use it to limit screen time for children on their devices.
Set screen time limits on YouTube on Android
Step 1: Open an app Settings.
Step 2: Click on Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls.
Step 3: Click on Dashboard.
Step 4: Click on YouTube From the list. If you don't find YouTube, click Show all apps And search for YouTube.
Step 5: Now, press app timerSet a time limit and tap . OK.
Therefore, after the specified time, YouTube will not be available on your Android device unless you go to Settings And you turn off the timer by clicking on the icon. delete next to App Timer option.
Set Screen Time Limits on YouTube for iPhone
Step 1: Open an app Settings on your iPhone.
Step 2: Click on Screen Time.
Step 3: Click on Application limits and turn on switch To the limits of the application.
Step 4: Now, press add border.
Step 5: Locate Entertainment from the list.
Step 6: Check the box for YouTube و YouTube Kids Once done, click on Next in the upper right corner.
Step 7: Finally, enter a time limit for the app and tap on addition.
After the time limit expires, YouTube will no longer be available on your iPhone unless the screen time limit is removed. However, if you notice something specific on YouTube that you don't want your kids to see, you can reject that content. Here's how.
5. Block inappropriate content on YouTube
Even after taking all the steps we've mentioned above to achieve parental control on YouTube, you may still see content you don't want your children to watch. In such cases, you can either block the channel or mark the video as "Not Interested." Once you do this, the content will no longer appear in your YouTube feed.
Open the YouTube app and tap three dots icon located next to the video. Now, select either "Not interested" Or “The channel is not recommended.”
In addition, you can also Open the channel , and click on three dots icon , and select an option "Block the channel for children."
That's all you need to know about enabling parental controls on YouTube. However, if you have more questions, check out the FAQ section below.
Questions and Answers About YouTube Parental Controls
Q1. Are there ads on YouTube Kids?
answer. Yes. However, YouTube Kids only has appropriate and limited ads.
Q2. Is YouTube Kids free?
answer. Yes, YouTube Kids is completely free to use.
Q3. Is YouTube Kids available on a web browser?
answer. Yes, YouTube Kids is available for free on any of your favorite web browsers.
Stay in control
We hope this article helps you easily enable parental controls on YouTube. However, just like YouTube Kids, we hope Google releases a dedicated app for teens to make content supervision easier for parents. This will certainly help many content creators focus on and optimize their content for pre-teens and early teens.
