Parents need to know that YouTube Kids is a kid-centric portal to YouTube that features curated TV shows, music, educational videos and user-created content. There are parental-control features in place—like a timer and a way to disable the search feature—but the content is still coming from YouTube, so some videos feature kid-targeted ads. Some videos have mild cartoon violence, some potentially creepy images, and some tween music videos that are tame overall but may not align with some parents’ rules for younger viewers. But in general, there aren’t any real minefields for parents to worry about, and neither kids nor parents ever enter any personal information.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
YouTube Kids lets kids roam free through a vast menu of YouTube videos geared toward children. Kids can browse by swiping left and right, or they can view videos and channels through the categories that appear at the top of the screen. “Shows” features clips and full episodes of popular children’s programming; “Music” clips are classic and contemporary kids’ songs. The “Learning” section includes access to education-focused clips from sources including Khan Academy, PBS Kids, and TED-Ed, and the “Explore” section features a sprawling range of user-created content, toy-related videos, and a more random array of kid-friendly content. Once kids have viewed a few videos, a “Recommended” menu appears at the top, where kids can view more videos related to those they’ve previously viewed. In the “grown-ups only” Settings menu, parents can toggle sounds on and off, disable search, and clear the watch history. That section requires reading skills to access; above a number pad is the message, “Please enter the numbers seven, nine, three, eight.” The timer function lets parents limit their children’s use of YouTube Kids, and kids can use a colored progress bar to track how much time remains. After the time has elapsed, a cute “Time’s Up!” animation appears, and kids are locked out of further viewing until/unless their parents enter an access code.
IS IT ANY GOOD?
The fact that YouTube Kids has some parental controls makes it a serious contender as a family’s go-to way for kids to watch videos online (at least, until they can read and access the “grown-ups only” menu themselves). The timer feature is also a standout, letting parents set clear limits on their kids’ screen time.
Meanwhile, kids will love the app’s whimsical visuals and silly sound effects, which will have them swiping through the video gallery with ease.
Kids will also love the “Recommended” menu, where they’ll find suggested videos related to those they’ve previously viewed. It would be nice if parents could curate and wall off content for their kids, giving them even more peace of mind.
Like any tool for letting kids view videos, context and supervision are key: Parents should be close by to monitor which videos (and ads) their kids view and to give context and criticism as needed.
If parents set healthy boundaries around its use, YouTube Kids can be a solid way to explore kid-friendly videos.
RATING AND CONTENT
- Recommended age: 6 and older
- Quality: 4 out of 5
- Learning: 3 out of 5
- Ease of play: 5 out of 5
- Violence and scariness: 2 out of 5
- Sexy stuff: 1 out of 5
- Language: 0 out of 5
- Drinking, drugs, and smoking: 0 out of 5
- Privacy and safety: 3 out of 5
- Consumerism: 3 out of 5 (Are products/advertisements embedded? Is the title part of a broader marketing initiative/empire? Is the intent to sell things to kids?)
WHAT KIDS CAN LEARN
- Language and reading
- Math
- Science
- Social studies
- Arts
- Creativity
- Emotional development
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Responsibility and ethics
APP DETAILS
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Price: Free
- Release date: February 23, 2015
- Category: Entertainment
- Size: 50 MB
- Publisher: Google
- Minimum software requirements: Android 1.6 and up; iOS 5 and up
Patricia Monticello Kievlan / Common Sense Media