Raven Wu
Published on: February 10, 2025
Fact-checked by Kate Davidson
YouTube Kids gives you a lot of tools to safeguard your kids from inappropriate content, from age-based filters to a whitelist function that allows you to limit your kid to watching only videos that you handpick.
That said, YouTube Kids’s parental controls aren’t comprehensive. For example, it can’t set screen time limits and it doesn’t let you create schedules.
So I recommend using YouTube Kids alongside a good third-party parental control app. Qustodio has a dedicated YouTube monitoring feature, can set time limits on individual apps, and is able to block both the YouTube site and app to prevent your kid from circumventing your controls.
TRY QUSTODIO WITH YOUTUBE KIDS
What Are the Risks of YouTube Kids?
- Inappropriate content. While YouTube Kids is curated for younger audiences, not every video is manually reviewed by a human being, so inappropriate or harmful videos may occasionally slip through the filters. These can include videos that depict cartoon violence, promote consumerism, or reinforce unhealthy body images, for example.
- Addictive behavior and screen time. The huge quantity of content on YouTube Kids and its recommendation algorithms can encourage excessive usage, potentially damaging your child’s eye health or distracting them from their other responsibilities.
- Advertisements. YouTube Kids only shows ads that are deemed to be family-friendly and that don’t contain click-throughs to websites or product purchase flows. That said, many child-friendly YouTubers promote products, toys, or lifestyles, and even kid-friendly ads can encourage materialism or unhealthy consumption habits. Signing up for YouTube Premium removes all ads.
- Data collection and privacy concerns. The extent of data collected about your children by YouTube Kids may make you uncomfortable. Data YouTube Kids collects includes your kid’s viewing habits and device information (such as the IP address), which can be used for targeted advertising or recommendations.
- Exposure to low-quality content. Many videos on YouTube Kids prioritize flashy visuals, repetitive music, or nonsensical storytelling designed to grab attention and stimulate the senses, potentially stunting creative or critical thinking skills.
- Dependence on algorithms. The platform’s reliance on algorithms to suggest content can create echo chambers, exposing children to repetitive or overly narrow types of videos and limiting their exposure to diverse or educational content.
What Age Is YouTube Kids Appropriate For?
YouTube Kids is designed for children aged 0 to 12 as a more kid-friendly alternative to YouTube. However, YouTube Kids’s Terms of Service makes it clear that parental supervision is highly recommended for kids under the age of 13, as the platform’s parental controls (while very good) aren’t foolproof or comprehensive.
This is also reflected in the YouTube Kids app’s Google Play Store rating, which suggests that it’s suitable for ages 3+ but notes the risks posed by the platform, especially by user-generated content.
Ultimately though, these age ratings are only general guidelines and you must decide for yourself when to expose your kids to digital devices and whether they’re mature enough to use YouTube Kids responsibly.
Note that neither YouTube nor YouTube Kids have any mechanisms for verifying the age of their users, so enforcement is up to parents. A third-party parental control app can be very helpful in this regard, as it gives you the power to block the YouTube site and app (limiting your child to YouTube Kids).
How to Keep Your Kids Safe on YouTube Kids
You can make YouTube Kids a safe space for kid-friendly entertainment by using a combination of the platform’s built-in tools and a third-party parental control app.
1. Install a Good Quality Parental Control App
YouTube Kids has built-in parental controls, but it’s missing certain useful functions. You can make the platform safer by using a good third-party parental control app like Qustodio to:
- Limit your kid’s screen time. Set daily screen time limits and/or time limits on specific apps (like YouTube Kids) to prevent excessive device usage and protect your kid’s eyes.
- Create a schedule with appropriate downtimes. Make sure your kid isn’t watching videos when they should be studying or sleeping by blocking YouTube Kids during certain times of the day.
- Block YouTube. Stop your kid from accessing the adult version of YouTube by blocking the YouTube site and app.
- Monitor your kid’s usage of YouTube Kids. See when and for how long your kid is on YouTube Kids each day.
2. Turn Off the Search Function
Turning off the search function removes the search bar in YouTube Kids — this means your kid will only be able to watch videos recommended by the platform, and reduces the chances of them stumbling across inappropriate content. To turn off the search function:
- Click the lock icon in the top right corner of YouTube Kids and enter your parental passcode.
- Select the kid whose settings you want to change and enter the login credentials for your Google account to gain access.
- Under Content settings, toggle Search off.
Note that even with the search function turned off, there’s still a chance that your kid may find a video that you don’t want them to watch because the algorithm and reviewers aren’t foolproof.
3. Block Inappropriate Videos and Channels
You can hide individual videos or entire channels on YouTube Kids.
To block an individual video:
- Click on the video you want to block.
- Click on the 3 vertical dots in the top right corner of the video.
- Select Block video.
To block an entire channel:
- Click on the video you want to block.
- Click on the channel icon or channel name below the video to go to the channel page.
- Click on the 3 vertical dots next to the Subscribe button.
- Select Block this channel.
4. Set YouTube Kids to Approved Content Only
On the YouTube Kids mobile app, you can set it so that your kid can only watch content that you’ve approved. This also turns off the search function. You have to enable this setting using the mobile app, but it does translate to YouTube Kids on a computer as well.
To set YouTube Kids to approved content only mode:
- Tap the cog icon in the top right corner of YouTube Kids and enter your parental passcode.
- Select the kid whose settings you want to change and enter the login credentials for your Google account to gain access.
- Under Content settings, tap Edit settings.
- Select Approve content yourself and confirm your selection. The app will then let you add videos, channels, or collections to the list of approved content.
5. Set a Time Limit
YouTube Kids lets you set a one-time time limit. Once time runs out, the app will be locked on that device until you unlock it by entering your parental passcode.
However, if you’d like to set a daily time limit on how much time your kid can spend on YouTube Kids (and not just a one-time time limit), you’ll need to use a third-party parental control app like Qustodio.
To set a time limit on YouTube Kids:
- Tap the cog icon in the top right corner of YouTube Kids and enter your parental passcode.
- Tap on Set timer.
- Adjust the timer length (up to 60 minutes) and tap Start timer.
6. Install a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Like most online platforms, YouTube Kids collects data on how the user interacts with the platform and certain device information, such as the device’s IP address. The collected data may be used by the company to target your kid with ads or content.
A VPN can protect your kid’s online privacy by encrypting their data, which makes it unreadable to others, and hiding their IP address.
ExpressVPN is my top VPN for YouTube Kids because it’s very fast (so it won’t cause long load times or buffering) and is very easy to use.
7. Talk to Your Kid
One of the easiest ways to keep your kid safe on YouTube kids is just to have a conversation with them about responsible device usage. Agree on sensible time limits and when it’s OK to watch videos.
Staying engaged with your kid’s interests will also make it more likely that they will come to you for help if they experience something that makes them feel uncomfortable and allow you to stay aware of any potential issues.
Editors’ Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is YouTube Kids dangerous?
It can be — while YouTube Kids is designed for younger audiences, inappropriate content can sometimes slip through the filters. There are also other dangers. For example, your kids could be shown inappropriate advertisements or develop addictive screen time habits. Parental supervision and making good use of built-in and third-party parental control tools can help mitigate these risks.
Does YouTube Kids have parental controls?
Yes, YouTube Kids has built-in parental controls. In the settings menu, you can turn off the search function, set time limits, and even limit your kid to videos that you handpicked yourself.
But I also recommend getting a good third-party parental control app like Qustodio, as YouTube Kids’s parental controls aren’t comprehensive and don’t let you do stuff like create scheduled downtimes or block the adult version of YouTube.
Is YouTube Kids good for kids under the age of 13?
Yes, YouTube Kids is intended for children under 13. The content on the platform is filtered by a combination of automatic filters and human review. That said, parental supervision is still recommended, as not all content is manually reviewed, and the platform poses other risks such as excessive screen time, data collection, and more.
Does YouTube Kids have ads?
The free version of YouTube Kids has ads. The platform states that all ads on the platform undergo a rigorous review process and that it only shows ads that are approved as family-friendly. That said, kid-friendly ads can still encourage unwanted behaviors, like excessive consumerism or unhealthy buying habits. You don’t get any ads if you have YouTube Premium (requires a paid subscription).
