As of today, YouTube Kids is also available in the Netherlands. With this protected version of the video service, your children can watch online video more safely. This is how YouTube Kids works.
Explanation: what is YouTube Kids?
Almost all parents do it once: keeping children entertained with a smartphone or tablet while you arrange some other things. Then you want to make sure that your children don’t see strange things. And with millions of new videos appearing on YouTube every day, there may be something questionable in between.
That’s what YouTube Kids is for. It is a modified, kid-friendly version of the video service. On YouTube Kids you will almost only find videos that are safe and suitable for children. No horror movies or explicit content, but children’s music and sweet animations. Google promised to bring the service to the Netherlands soon at the end of 2018, and has now started the rollout. From today you can download YouTube Kids in the Netherlands via the App Store.
1. How can I be sure that all videos are kid-friendly?
Of course, parents want to be sure that their children are not presented with weird videos. In theory, YouTube Kids offers a customized, kid-friendly range of videos. Unfortunately, this has sometimes gone wrong in the past. Since YouTube Kids launched in the United States in 2015, the app has been repeatedly discredited.
Originally, almost all videos on YouTube were subject to an automatic filter. If the algorithm determined that a video was safe for children, it immediately popped up in YouTube Kids. Soon, YouTube Kids was inundated with videos abusing that algorithm. There were lullabies with images of violent games over them, or adults dressed as Disney characters playing with needles and filthy junk.
Since then, Google has made great strides to make YouTube Kids safer and truly kid-friendly. For example, almost all videos are now manually checked for eligibility unless parents explicitly give their children permission to watch a video.
Also in the Netherlands you can be sure that all videos on YouTube Kids are child-friendly. Google has set up a special team that determines which YouTube channels you can and cannot watch in the app. Then an algorithm performs an additional check on every video that appears on that channel.
2. What parenting features does YouTube Kids have?
Of course, it’s not just up to Google to protect children; parents can also take steps. YouTube Kids therefore offers them various options to limit their children’s viewing behaviour.
Parents can create up to eight profiles in YouTube Kids. You can choose from three options. One of these is a profile that only has access to parent-selected videos. The search function is missing, and recommended videos are not shown. Only if parents explicitly grant access to certain channels or videos, a child can watch them.
If you prefer to give your children a little more freedom, or if you don’t feel like selecting the right channels yourself, YouTube Kids offers a standard profile for toddlers and preschoolers, and one for school-age children aged eight to twelve. In the first category, only the safest, educational videos are shown, while for slightly older children, it can also include hits from popular artists such as Justin Bieber. In addition, the older group is sometimes also presented with videos from games such as Minecraft.
Parents can also set time limit. Do you think one hour a day or a few hours a week is enough? After the limit is reached, YouTube Kids will be locked automatically. Parents can also specify specific Block YouTube videos and channels. Finally, YouTube Kids has a viewing history, which tells you exactly what your kids have watched. Then you don’t have to look over their shoulders.
3. Does YouTube Kids have advertising? How do I turn it off?
Just like on ‘normal’ YouTube, you will see advertisements between the videos. However, these advertising videos will – if all is well – be aimed at children. Your kids will not see any advertising for action films or health insurance.
Since last year, however, you can also opt for an ad-free version of the service, YouTube Premium. For 11.99 euros per month you not only get YouTube without ads, but you can also watch videos offline or in the background. You also get access to YouTube Music, an alternative to Spotify. For 17.99 euros per month you can take out a family subscription for a maximum of six people in your household. Then your children will have their own ad-free account.
4. What does YouTube Kids cost?
The good news: YouTube Kids is completely free. You can download the app for free and use it will not cost you a cent. So, just like with the regular version of YouTube, you sometimes come across some advertising. If you want to get rid of that, you’ll have to pay for YouTube Premium.
5. Where can I download YouTube Kids?
You can download the YouTube Kids app from the App Store link below. It works on both iPhone and iPad. An Android version is also available in the Google Play Store.
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