How to manage parental control on YouTube kids’ app?

Every kid appears to have their own YouTube channel. According to a 2021 study by Common Sense Media, watching online videos is the most popular media activity among tweens and teens. YouTube is the preferred site of one in every three teenagers, according to Pew Research.

More youngsters are now watching internet videos. Since 2019, the proportion of youngsters who claim to watch online videos every day has climbed by eight per cent. Parents should certainly filter material on YouTube to prevent their children from seeing videos they should not.

You may control your kid's individual experience with the YouTube Kids app, which has parental controls. You may define what material to provide them access to, set a timer to limit how long they spend looking at the screen, and block videos or channels. You may talk freely with your youngster about anything, and together you may develop good online habits as well as healthy digital behaviors.

Although there is so much wonderful on YouTube, your kid may find themselves trapped in some of the internet's deepest, darkest recesses with a few taps of their finger. Fortunately, there is a solution, and it does not involve you running around the room. The safeguards filter most of the questionable content out when they are enabled. Let us look at how to use parental controls on an app.

Open the YouTube kids app on your mobile.

Note − The YouTube kids by default opens in landscape mode.

Disable search

Do you want to have complete control over what your children watch? Only let your children watch videos, channels, and/or collections that you have chosen and approved mode. Kids will not be able to search for videos in this mode. You can disable search in YouTube Kids by taking the following steps −

• After opening app, choose your kid.

• Click on the Lock in the lower right-hand corner of the screen

• Enter your passcode or answer the math question if a passcode has not been set.

Answer entered. Click on submit.

• Click on the Settings gear.

• Select your child.

• Enter your Google password when prompted.

• Scroll down.

• The search is on by default.

• Switch off the toggle bar to disable search.

• When the kid will try to search, following message will flash.

Select content levels based on kid’s age

Each kid has a range of choices for what sort of content to display in the YouTube Kids app, ranging from younger learners' films to those seeking a more unrestricted experience.

Repeat the step from 1 to 6 as above.

Click on the Lock in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Enter your passcode or answer the math question if a passcode has not been set. Click on the Settings gear. Select your child and enter your Google password when prompted.

Then, under “Content Level,” select “Approved Content” only.

Pause Watch and Search History

Another setting in YouTube Kids that you can modify is the ability to have the app recommend videos to your kid based on ones they have already seen. If you pause the application, it will no longer be able to utilize new video views or keyword searches. To pause history −

Repeat the step from 1 to 6 as above.

Click on the Lock in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Enter your passcode or answer the math question if a passcode has not been set. Click on the Settings gear. Select your child and enter your Google password when prompted.

Select “Pause watch history”.

Add a custom passcode

Any modifications to YouTube Kids settings should be irreversible by a youngster looking for additional freedom even after you have enabled them. Although clicking the lock says "Parents Only," the default option will only need a youngster to solve a basic math equation to reach the settings page. Do this before giving access to your child so that they do not set their passcode and lock you out of the settings. To enable a four digit passcode −

Click on the Lock in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

Select “Set custom passcode”.

The YouTube will ask a maths question, answer it.

Enter the answer and click on submit.

Enter a 4-digit number of your choice. This will be the new code required to access the Settings menu.

Confirm your passcode again.

New passcode had been generated. This can be changed in settings later.

Limit screen time.

Parents may set a limit on how much time their children can spend watching by using the built-in timer. When the session is over, the timer will display a nice notification and quit the app.

Here is how to set the timer −

Tap the Lock in the bottom corner of any page in the app.

Read and enter the numbers that appear or enter your custom passcode.

Select Timer.

Use the slider bar or the icons to set a time limit. Tap the Start timer.

Timer will start, you can s a timer bar on top.

Kids will see a "Time's up!" notification and the app will be locked once the time limit is reached.

Block videos and channel.

You can sign in to the YouTube Kids app to block channels, in addition to using parental controls and settings. In addition, you can Block videos by signing in to YouTube via your parent account. In the YouTube Kids app, you can also report videos that you believe are inappropriate. Steps are −

To block particular channel, play the video.

Video is played. Double tap on the channel’s video.

Click on the profile icon of channel.

Click on the three dots beside the channel name.

Click on block this channel.

YouTube will ask you your passcode.

The channel is blocked.

Play the specific video and click on three dots beside video title.

Click on the block this video.

YouTube will ask you for your passcode.

The video is blocked.

Keep an eye on them

Keep an eye on what your child is watching on YouTube. You can have a rule in your home that YouTube is only allowed to be viewed in public areas of the home, like the kitchen or family room, and only when there are elders around. This method can help you to make sure and can catch something inappropriate right away.

Conclusion

Children can explore the globe and discover new interests like never before thanks to the wealth of material available for streaming. It may also imply that they may inadvertently come across mature videos and programs. To lower the possibility, use the parental controls and filters that are available.