How To Set Up Parental Controls On YouTube?

Letting your kids loose on YouTube can feel like setting them free in a digital Wild West. There’s a universe of content out there, and while some of it is educational and entertaining,  you know there’s plenty you’d rather they not stumble upon.

Maybe you’ve caught them watching something age-inappropriate, or you’re worried about the endless stream of recommendations pulling them down weird rabbit holes.  You want them to explore and learn but on their own terms.

That’s where parental controls can help! In this post, we’ll show you how to make YouTube safer for your kids. This way, you can relax knowing they have a secure place to watch videos and explore online.

What Are YouTube Parental Controls Options?

YouTube offers a variety of content, but not all of it is suitable for young viewers. Fortunately, YouTube provides several parental control options to ensure your child has a safe and enriching experience.

The first option is YouTube Kids, a separate app specifically designed for children. YouTube Kids curates content to be appropriate for various age groups and allows parents to choose specific channels or videos their child can access. Additionally, parents can set screen time limits and manage search options within the app.

For slightly older children who are ready for a more extensive YouTube experience, supervised accounts offer a good compromise. By linking your child’s account to yours, you can control the type of content they see through settings that generally align with pre-teen and older ratings. This supervised experience still offers the look and feel of the regular YouTube app, but with limitations in place to safeguard your child.

How To Set Up Parental Controls On YouTube?

Activating parental controls on YouTube is easy and can greatly influence the content your child sees. Here are the steps to enable different parental controls on various devices:

Method 1: Restricted Mode On YouTube

Restricted Mode is one of the easiest ways to filter out inappropriate content on YouTube. It can be enabled on desktop, mobile, and smart TV platforms, providing a basic level of screening that helps shield viewers from potentially mature content. To learn how to activate ‘Restricted Mode’ on different devices, follow the steps below.

In Desktop:

• Sign in to your YouTube account.
• Click on your profile icon in the upper right corner.

• Scroll down and select “Restricted Mode” at the bottom of the menu.
• In the dialog box that appears, toggle the switch to “On.”

• Restricted Mode will stay on for this browser even if you sign out once you activate it.

In Mobile:

• Open the YouTube app on your device.
• Tap on your profile picture at the bottom right.

• Go to “Settings” and then “General.”

• Find the “Restricted Mode” setting and switch it on.

In Smart TV:

• Open the YouTube app on your smart TV.
• Navigate to “Settings.”
• Look for “Restricted Mode” and enable it by toggling the switch.

Each platform requires a slightly different approach, but the overall objective is the same: to reduce the chances of encountering inappropriate content.

Method 2: Creating YouTube’s Supervised Account

• YouTube designed Supervised Experiences to offer a middle ground between unrestricted access to a regular YouTube account and the child-centric environment of YouTube Kids. Parents can select from “Explore”, “Explore More”, and “Most of YouTube” content settings, each offering varying degrees of content freedom based on the child’s age and maturity.

Steps To Create A Supervised Account On YouTube

• Download the App: Start by downloading the Google Family Link app, available on both iOS and Android platforms.
• Initiate Setup: Open the Family Link app and select ‘Get Started’ to begin the setup process.
• Account Status: When prompted to indicate if your child has a Google Account, select ‘No’ to create a new one.

• Create Account: On the ‘Create your child’s Google Account’ page, tap ‘Next’ to proceed.

• Confirm Account Creation: A message will appear informing you about the creation process for your child’s Google account. Tap ‘Next’ to continue.
• Enter Child’s Name: Provide your child’s first and last names, then tap ‘Next’.

• Input Basic Information: Fill in your child’s basic information such as date of birth and gender, and then tap ‘Next’.

• Choose Gmail Address: Either select a suggested Gmail address or create a new one. Once done, tap ‘Next’.

• Set Password: Enter a password for the new account and tap ‘Next’.

• Parental Information: Provide your email and phone number to link your account with your child’s for supervision purposes.

• Agree to Terms: Scroll through the information regarding your child’s Google account and Family Link’s parental controls. Agree to Google’s terms by checking the boxes and then tap ‘Agree’.

• Confirm Password: Enter your password to confirm the account setup and tap ‘Next’.

• Review Account Details: Review all the information provided to ensure it’s correct and tap ‘Next’.
• Completion: You will receive a message confirming the creation of your child’s account. Tap ‘Next’ to finish the setup process.

Setting Up The Child’s YouTube Viewing Experience

• Open the YouTube App: Start by launching the YouTube app on your device. Tap on your profile icon or picture located typically in the top right corner.
• Access Settings: In the dropdown menu that appears, select the “Settings” option.

• Navigate to Content Settings: Within the settings menu, find and tap on “Content Settings.” This is usually listed amongst other setting options.

• Manage Settings for Your Child: In the parent settings menu, there will be an option labeled “Manage settings for your kids.” Tap on this to proceed.

• Set Content Restrictions: You can now choose the type of content that’s appropriate for your child. Options include:
  • Explore: Suitable for children aged 9 and above.
  • Explore More: Appropriate for teenagers 13 and up.
  • Most YouTube: Grants access to a broader range of content, suitable for more mature teens.

• Finalize Settings: Follow the on-screen prompts to finalize the content settings and any other restrictions you want to apply for your child’s supervised YouTube experience.

By using a supervised account, parents can ensure their child enjoys YouTube while still being shielded from content that might not be suitable for their age group.

Method 3: Using YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids creates a safer environment for children to explore their interests through online video content without encountering inappropriate material. Here’s how to utilize this app effectively:

• Download and Install: YouTube Kids is available for free on both Android and iOS devices. Download it from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
• Set Up a Profile: When you first launch the app, you will be prompted to create a profile for your child. You can set up multiple profiles if you have more than one child.
• Choose Content Levels: YouTube Kids offers different content settings based on the child’s age group—Preschool, Younger, and Older. Select the appropriate setting that matches your child’s age and maturity.
• Parental Controls: Within the app, go to the settings where you can manage several parental control options such as:
  • Search Settings: Turn on or off the search functionality to control whether your child can search for videos.
  • Time Limits: Set how long your child can use the app each day.
  • Content Blocking: If you find a video or channel inappropriate, you have the option to block it directly from the video view or via the settings.
• Monitor and Adjust: Regularly check the content your child is viewing and adjust the settings as necessary. YouTube Kids also offers a parent-approved content feature, allowing you to handpick every video and channel available to your child.

Using YouTube Kids not only simplifies managing what content your child can see but also gives them the freedom to explore videos that are educational, entertaining, and age-appropriate.

Method 4: Using Safe Search

Safe Search is a helpful tool provided by Google to help filter out explicit content across its services, including YouTube. Activating Safe Search can add an extra layer of protection to ensure that inappropriate content does not appear in search results. Here’s how to enable it:

1. On Desktop:

• Go to families.google.com and click on the child profile at the bottom right corner of the page.
• Select ‘Filters’ on Google Search.
• In the ‘SafeSearch filters’ section, ‘Toggle On‘.

2. On Mobile Devices:

• Open the Google app or your preferred browser and navigate to Google.com.
• Access the menu (typically represented by three lines or dots) and choose ‘Settings’.
• Tap on ‘Accounts & privacy’.
• Find the ‘SafeSearch’ option and toggle it on.

By enabling Safe Search, you can significantly reduce the likelihood that your child will encounter explicit or inappropriate content while using YouTube or conducting searches on Google.

Method 5: Dismiss Content

The Dismiss Content feature on YouTube allows users to remove specific videos from their recommendations, helping to further tailor and control the type of content that appears. This feature is particularly useful for parents who wish to manually filter out content that they deem inappropriate for their children, even if it has not been automatically restricted by other parental lock settings. Here’s how to use this feature:

• While Watching a Video:
  • If you come across a video that you find inappropriate, click on the three dots next to the video on the recommendation list.
  • Select “Not interested” or “Don’t recommend channel” to prevent similar content from appearing in the future.
• Review and Manage Watch History:
  • YouTube’s recommendations are often based on the watch history. By reviewing and managing what has been watched, you can influence future recommendations.
  • Go to the ‘History’ section of YouTube, where you can see all the videos that have been watched on the account.
  • You can remove specific videos from the history or pause watch history altogether to stop influencing future recommendations.

Using the Dismiss Content feature effectively requires regular monitoring and adjustments, as it relies on user feedback to refine the recommendations algorithm. This proactive approach ensures that the content being recommended is appropriate and aligns with your parental guidelines.

Benefits of Setting Up Parental Controls on YouTube

Setting up parental controls on YouTube provides numerous benefits that ensure a safer and more appropriate viewing experience for children. Here are the key advantages:

• Filtered Content: Parental controls help filter out content that may be inappropriate for children, reducing their exposure to harmful or unsuitable videos.
• Customized Viewing Experience: Different methods of parental control, such as YouTube’s Supervised Account and YouTube Kids, allow for a tailored viewing experience that matches the age and maturity level of the child.
• Peace of Mind for Parents: Knowing that content is being filtered or supervised provides peace of mind to parents, ensuring that their children are not exposed to unexpected or inappropriate material.
• Educational and Age-Appropriate Entertainment: Parental restrictions on YouTube make it easier to access content that is not only safe but also educational, helping children learn from age-appropriate and engaging videos.
• Control Over Viewing Time and Habits: Features like time limits and activity monitors allow parents to control how much time their children spend on YouTube, promoting a healthy balance between screen time and other activities.
• Development of Healthy Online Habits: By managing and monitoring YouTube usage, parents can guide their children in developing healthy online habits that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Setting up and maintaining these controls requires a minimal investment of time but offers significant returns in ensuring a safer online environment for children.

FAQs:

Conclusion

By setting up parental controls on YouTube, parents can create a safer environment for their children. These tools help filter content and provide a tailored viewing experience. Staying informed and proactive ensures children can enjoy YouTube’s benefits with less risk.