3.9 / 5 - 359 Votes

File Size: 8.08MB

Developer: google.com

Editors Review:

Youtube Kids unveiled on Wednesday new features meant to give parents more control over what their children watch, following an outcry late last year over disturbing videos that landed on the app. Google-owned YouTube will be rolling out three control features, Channels curated by YouTube and "trusted partners" like PBS. The ability for parents to handpick every video and channel a child can access. A mechanism that, when a parent turns off the app's search function, limits clips to those verified by the YouTube Kids team. The video app has faced criticism since November, when The New York Times reported that inappropriate clips were slipping past the app's filters. YouTube Kids is supposed to pull only child-friendly content from the larger YouTube site, but the automatic vetting process reportedly wasn't always up to the task. One video, for instance, showed Mickey Mouse in a pool of blood while Minnie looked on in horror. At the time of the report, YouTube called the content "unacceptable" but said such clips weren't widespread. In the 30 days prior to the Times story, less than .005 percent of videos viewed in the app were removed for being inappropriate, the company said then, and it added that it was trying to reduce that number.

Publisher Description:

A world of learning and fun, made just for kids

We created YouTube Kids to make it safer and simpler for kids to explore the world through online video – from their favorite shows and music to learning how to build a model volcano (or make slime ;-), and everything in between. There’s also a whole suite of parental controls, so you can tailor the experience to your family’s needs.

A safer online experience for kids

We use a mix of filters, user feedback and human reviewers to keep the videos in YouTube Kids family friendly. But no system is perfect and inappropriate videos can slip through, so we’re constantly working to improve our safeguards and offer more features to help parents create the right experience for their families.

Get the scoop on all the control features available to you:

KID PROFILES:
Create up to eight kid profiles, each with their own viewing preferences, video recommendations, and settings.

BLOCKING:
Find a video or channel you don’t want your kid to watch? Block it to automatically remove it from all of your kids’ profiles.

VIDEO REPORTING:
Alert us immediately by reporting videos that shouldn’t be in the app. The video will be sent to us for fast review.

SEARCH CONTROL:
Turn search on so kids can access more videos. Turn search off for a more contained experience.

TIMER:
Set up a timer to put limits on how long your kids can play with the app.

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