YouTube Kids is now available for download in the App Store and Google Play, giving parents with iOS and Android devices a way to let their little ones enjoy videos specifically meant for children.
For parents, YouTube has always been a double-edged sword. A lot of kid-friendly content already exists on the platform, but there was no effective way to manage kids' viewing habits (without standing over their shoulder, that is). More risqué content was always a single tap away.
YouTube Kids addresses those concerns by providing an app where all content has been screened and deemed appropriate for children. Google doesn't specify an age range, but the blog post announcing the app cites 3- and 4-year-olds as potential users. The app's security feature on the parental controls is a random code that changes each time you click the lock icon; the app displays the code with the numbers spelled out, so it's clear YouTube Kids is aimed at those who haven't yet learned to read.
The parental controls include a built-in timer. After it runs out, any kids still watching are out of luck, as all videos will stop playing until it resets the next day — or until a parent increases the limit. The default is 30 minutes and the maximum is 120; once the timer has begun, kids can see how long they have left via a slowly shortening progress bar along the top.
Kids should be mindful of the timer. It measures time the app is open — not just time spent viewing videos — and it runs down even if the app is running in the background.
Parents can also opt to disable search, so videos will be limited to just whatever's on the home screen. Just how do kids who can't read search anyway? With voice: a tap of the microphone will let kids say exactly what they're looking for, although results may vary depending on how well they've learned to enunciate.
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