YouTube and YouTube Kids
What parents need to know
Get YouTube tips and learn how you can help your child get the most out of the platform while staying safe.
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What is YouTube? What parents need to know
YouTube is a video-sharing platform that also functions as a social media platform, with users able to watch, share and comment on each other’s videos. YouTube is the second-most visited website in the world after Google, which owns YouTube.
YouTube has billions of videos covering a huge range of topics, from educational how-to guides to comedy sketches. There is content available for almost every interest and audience.
Users can watch videos, upload their own and interact with content on YouTube for free, with the platform primarily being ad-supported. Adverts play before or during videos, with some videos featuring multiple adverts. A paid premium subscription is also available, which removes ads and allows users to download content for offline viewing.
In addition to YouTube, there is also a separate version for children called YouTube Kids. YouTube Kids features content that is intended to be appropriate for younger audiences.
YouTube is available on most devices, including Android and iOS devices, through web browsers and on games consoles and smart TVs.
Minimum age requirements
YouTube’s terms of service state that users must be at least 13 years of age to create an account. Children below this age can instead use YouTube Kids, which offers three age-based options:
Preschool: ages 4 and under
Younger: ages 5–8
Older: ages 9–12
Is YouTube included in the UK social media ban?
Yes, YouTube is likely to be included in the announced social media ban. While the UK government has yet to announce the full list, they have already named YouTube. However, YouTube Kids can still be used by under-16s.
We are currently waiting to hear details about the social media ban to know what this looks like in practise. Until the ban happens, make sure you set parental controls to keep your child safer online.
How it works
YouTube can be used to watch videos without signing in. However, users must create an account and sign it to upload videos or use features such as commenting, liking and subscribing to channels.
Signing in also allows YouTube to learn what kind of content a user likes watching, which then lets the algorithm make personalised recommendations of similar content. Once a video ends, YouTube will automatically play another recommended video, unless the autoplay feature has been switched off.
In addition to traditional videos, YouTube also has a YouTube Shorts feed, which allows users to quickly scroll through short, vertical videos, similar to how TikTok and Instagram Reels work.
YouTube channels can also livestream, allowing them to broadcast content in real time. Viewers can interact with the livestream through a live chat. The audience can also interact with a creator and other viewers through Community posts, which creators can use on their channels to share updates, polls and quizzes.
Users can send each other private messages. However, they must first send an invite link to the person they wish to message on a different platform. Once the recipient has accepted this invite, they can start messaging on YouTube. This feature is 18+.
Uploading videos
To upload a video, users must create a channel. Channels act similar to profiles, with their own name, profile picture and description, and they are linked to the users own YouTube account. Videos uploaded can be set as public, private or unlisted, depending on who the user wants to be able to view them.
Videos can be monetised, allowing creators to earn money via adverts that play before or during the video. However, videos need to garner a high number of views in order to earn money, and revenue varies based on video type.
Playables
YouTube now has games available on the platform that can be played directly on the YouTube site or inside the app. These are simple single player games with straightforward objectives that can be played with no learning curve or explanation required.
While many of these games are suitable for children, parents should ask about what their child is playing to make sure the games are appropriate for their age and maturity.
YouTube Kids
YouTube Kids is a version of YouTube designed for children. Parents must set up the platform for their child and select an age-based content setting for them. The child will then only have access to content that is deemed as being suitable for this maturity level.
Parents can manage their child’s experience using controls to disable search, turn off autoplay and set it so children can only watch content that they personally approve. This can create a safer experience for children on the platform.
YouTube parental controls
YouTube Kids offers a safer way for children to use YouTube. Content on this platform is intended for children, and parents can use the parental controls to manage screen time, limit content and more.
Learn how to set up controls on YouTube Kids.
When children are ready to move to the full YouTube app, parents can set up a supervised account. This allows parents to choose a content setting based on their child’s age and maturity. The options are:
Explore: for those 9+
Explore more: for those 13+
Most of YouTube: most content on YouTube except if marked as 18+
Benefits of YouTube
- Sharing videos provides creative outlet
- Endless amounts of educational and informative content
- Videos that cover virtually any interest or hobby
- Learn new skills using how-to videos
- YouTube Kids provides child-friendly platform
What to watch out for
If your child uses YouTube or YouTube Kids, you should be aware of the following risks.
Inappropriate content
YouTube has billions of videos, meant to cater to a wide variety of audiences and interests. Because of this, children might accidentally watch a video that features inappropriate or disturbing content.
For younger children, using YouTube Kids will reduce the chances of them coming across content that is too mature for them, but even YouTube Kids can feature videos that appear child-friendly but are inappropriate.
Turning off search on YouTube Kids and only allowing them to watch content that you have approved yourself can prevent your child from viewing inappropriate videos. If your child wants to use full YouTube, enabling restricted mode will filter mature videos out of search results.
Teaching your child to use the report and block tools will also enable them to report channels that post content that violates YouTube’s terms of service, making the platform safer for everyone.
Contact with strangers
Despite being primarily a video-sharing platform, YouTube also functions as a social media platform. Users can interact with creators and each other in the comment sections of videos, as well as through the live chats of live streams. Users can also direct message each other, although they must first be able to message each other on another platform to send a chat invite.
Within comment sections, children can be exposed to explicit language or mature themes. If they post their own comments, people might leave abusive replies or try to interact with your child to lure them onto another site, where they can chat privately.
Enabling restricted mode will hide comments and live chats from your child’s account, preventing them from communicating in these spaces or seeing inappropriate comments.
If your child does have access to comment sections, teach them how to use the block and report tools so that they can flag any inappropriate content. You should also ensure that they know what info is ok to share online, and what should be kept private, to help protect their identity. Remind them that they should never share their full name, address, school name or login info.
Algorithm and echo chambers
YouTube recommends videos based on what users have watched and can autoplay these once a video has ended. As YouTube will play videos similar to those that users have previously watched, children may be repeatedly shown similar content. This can create an echo chamber where users are exposed to the same viewpoints and have less opportunity to encounter different perspectives. This in turn could lead to radicalisation.
To reduce the risk of your child being caught in an echo chamber, disable the autoplay feature so that similar videos do not automatically play one after another. Help your child develop their critical thinking skills so that they can question the content, recognise any mis or disinformation they see in videos or comments and form their own conclusions.
Excessive screen time
YouTube has billions of videos, covering almost every topic, and this can result in excessive screen time as children will never run out of new content to watch. Ending watch sessions can be even more difficult due to the autoplay feature, as even after finishing a video, children will automatically be shown a new video.
Disabling autoplay can help prevent long streaming sessions. Setting screen time limits can also prevent them from spending excessive amounts of time on the platform. YouTube Kids has an option within the app to limit screen time, but if your child uses the main YouTube app you can set limits within the in-built settings on the device they use.
Learn more about managing screen time.
Oversharing and peer pressure
If your child wants to upload their own content, keep an eye on what they share. Creating content can give your child a creative outlet and let them share artwork, music or gaming videos, but remind them that not everything needs to be shared online. Make sure they know not to include personal information, such as their name, address or school in their videos.
People may also leave comments asking children to share personal information or move conversations elsewhere. Teach your child not to trust everything commenters say and to tell you if someone makes them uncomfortable or asks for personal information. Disabling comments on their videos can reduce the risk of unwanted interactions.
Learn more about safe creating and sharing.