We recently got the Youtube Kids app. Since there was quite a bit to do about it, we have listed the pros and cons for you.
Once you become a father or mother, you get a lot of headaches. How are you going to get that little one ready for the big world? And nowadays it is not just the 'normal' world that you can worry about. Because as soon as they reach a certain age (which is quite fast these days!) children also take their first steps in the digital world. And then? How can you teach your children to use the internet in a safe way? There is now a new handy app for that:YouTube Kids.
In this blog you can read more about the latest baby from YouTube, the app has only just been launched and is therefore literally in its infancy in the Netherlands. Have you downloaded it yet? In this article you can read more about the pros and cons.
Table of contents
The YouTube kids app makes it a lot easier for you as a parent to keep the control when it comes to your child's online behavior † The app selects recommended videos for your kids that they enjoy watching in addition to the fun games they play online. But as a parent you decide which videos you let your child watch or not. And you do that for each child separately † You can create up to 8 different profiles. This way you can tailor the app perfectly to your family and your child.
Youtube Kids' playlists and channels are, of course, family-friendly. There are 4 categories:music, learning, discovery and shows. You decide what your child has access to. You can exclude certain videos or channels , turn the search function on or off and limit screen time by an integrated timer. You can also look back at which videos your kids have seen † We can't make it more fun, but safer for the kids, they must have thought of YouTube!
For parents who want to arrange the necessary things, but who prefer not to spend too much time with it, there are standard profiles that you can use:
According to Google, the app is suitable for children up to the age of 13. However, you hear something different among users. The videos selected by the YouTube kids app seem to be quite childish. Here's a little warning if your 12-year-old son is a Fortnite fan. As a parent, you cannot add videos to the content lists yourself. In other words, what is on the prohibited list remains on the prohibited list. Much to the disappointment of many parents.
On the other hand, you do hear positive things from parents of younger children. Apparently it depends a lot on the ages and interests of your children, if the YouTube kids app wants to appeal to you. But it's free to download, so you can always try it out!
Another disadvantage of the free YouTube kids app:you get advertisements. Less than with regular YouTube videos. But the nagging of your kids about the latest toy they have seen on the commercial is not yet finished. For that you have to go for a YouTube Premium subscription (available from
€11.99 per month). And then hope you don't get into a fight with the kids because they can't watch their favorite vlogger anymore.
Anyway, all in all, the Youtube Kids app is well received, but it no longer seems suitable for older children. By the way, if you want to limit your children's tablet use, then I don't think it's wise at all to download this app.
Download Youtube Kids app
If you want to make Youtube kidsproof in your home, you can download the Youtube kids app from the Google Play Store
