YouTube is a popular website for adults and children alike. It has been around since 2005 and has evolved from being just a place to share home videos with friends into the world's largest social media site. YouTube was created by three former PayPal employees in their 20s: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. To date, it has over 1 billion active users worldwide who watch an average of one hour of video every day - that's more time than television! The benefits to using YouTube include entertainment, education, creativity, marketing, or business promotion...but is there a kid-friendly version?
As you can see from the title of this post - the answer is a resounding yes! YouTube has a separate website for children called YouTube Kids. It was launched in February 2015, and it allows parents to control what their kids watch on television. It's 100% free, easy-to-use, and kid-safe with lots of videos already available that are relevant to kids.
Is YouTube Kids a Kid-Friendly Version of YouTube?
What is great about YouTube is that it has a lot of educational videos for kids, both on the regular YouTube app and the YouTube Kids App. In addition, while YouTube for Kids does contain ads, they are few and far between and are not clickable, so kids won’t land on a payment platform directly from the ad.
YouTube is a great app for moms who are looking for educational content for their kids. There are many channels dedicated to children's learning and entertainment. For example, when you set up a profile that matches your child's age range, they can learn from watching age-appropriate content about the alphabet, colors, numbers, and nursery songs under the “Music” category. There are also fun videos of popular cartoon characters like Peppa Pig, Blippi, Cocomelon, and Baby Shark. These channels can help teach kids about the alphabet, how to count, and many other important skills and milestones.
Channels that are eligible to upload onto YouTube Kids often upload short videos of songs and cartoons with age-appropriate educational value for preschoolers and early elementary school children. The application allows kids to explore different videos and music and have fun while doing it. The content generally allows for a learning opportunity depending on what channel your child decides to watch.
YouTube Kids is great for young children. It provides two significant advantages over the non-kids version. First, it has fewer advertisements than the regular YouTube app that can sometimes get in your way when you're trying to focus on what you're watching. Second, it has parental controls which allow parents to:
- set up a secret code that locks each child’s profile (so kids can’t switch to a different profile, such as an older sibling’s profile, to watch videos that are not appropriate for their age),
- set a time limit that will lock the app when the time is up,
- disable or allow the search function,
- allow all content approved for their age range or
- allow only approved content such as specific videos, channels, or collections,
- block any video or channel, and
- provide feedback to help improve the app or influence YouTube Kids’ content policies.
Under the “Learning” category, viewers will find videos about math, science, parts of speech, and words in other languages. As a parent, if you believe watching videos of kids singing songs or dancing might be valuable to your child's development, this app will allow them to do that in a safer environment.
YouTube Kids can spur creativity and imagination by introducing kids to new ways of playing games with their families. The educational videos can also give kids more information on various topics such as toys or science experiments. Other topics that the videos provide information about include cooking, grammar, and other kids’ experiences in school.
The YouTube Kids app was created with kids in mind as a limited space for children to explore age-appropriate video content, which can be customized by parents depending on their preferences and comfort level as to what type of content their kids should be exposed to. Therefore, the various control capabilities for parents within the app, along with content policies for YouTube Kids content as well as automated systems and human reviewers analyzing content appropriateness for children, make the YouTube Kids app a kid-friendly version of YouTube.
What Are Benefits to YouTube Kids?
One of the benefits that my kids enjoy about YouTube Kids is the content of videos created by other kids. This is a very important part of the app for both viewers and content creators. Kids are naturally curious and my kids love to see how other kids their age play pretend; therefore, the kids watching reap this benefit. On the other hand, kids creating the videos appear to be enjoying their imaginary play and moreover, they learn to work collaboratively in the creative process which can foster creativity and other skills such as critical thinking and competence with technology. Also, seeing their videos become successful contributes to feeling more competent while any failure presents an opportunity for improvement.
The time control feature is a good way for parents to allow their kids to enjoy their favorite videos on the app while at the same time not letting kids become addicted to watching videos all day long. Parents can limit screen time to using the app 30 minutes per day, for example; your child will no longer be able to use the app after they have reached their time limit for each day.
Many kids can quickly master technology, making it easier for them to navigate apps. For those kids who learned how to use the microphone to search on the YouTube Kids app, parents can toggle the search feature off, thus limiting kids to only watching the videos or channels custom handpicked by their parents.
If you don't want to limit your children to only a select few channels or videos, another option is to regularly monitor closely what your children are watching; or better yet, engage with them as they watch their favorite shows! Then, when you see something that you don’t agree with or does not appear to be appropriate for your child’s age, you can easily block it. To do this, pause the video, click on the three dots at the top right corner of the video which will give you the option for closed captioning, to report it, or to block it. If you don’t want your kids to watch something, simply click “block” and select to either block just the video or the entire channel (this is generally the one I choose when I just don’t agree with what that channel has been showing, such as bad behavior or attitude). Even though humans as well as an automated system review the content for appropriateness for YouTube Kids, not every video may be reviewed. Therefore, you can flag inappropriate content by reporting it (and don’t worry because this reporting process is anonymous).
There is another feature that has come in handy for me. When YouTube Kids is first launched, and you are already signed in with your kid’s profile, you will see a yellow, left-back arrow button with a red gem on it (it is separate from the video thumbnail and looks drawn in as part of the background, but it is clickable). Here, under “Watch it again”, you can see the history of what your kid has been watching. This is especially useful for parents who are looking for a video for kids who are younger, who don’t speak as much, whose vocabulary is limited, or who have difficulty communicating to parents what they want to see. Kids love repetition; it is part of how they learn and it can build their confidence and make them feel more secure. Since they are familiar with it after watching it before, they know what to expect next in a video they've watched repeatedly, so you can say that repetition reduces uncertainty for kids. In my experience, this has been helpful for videos my kids describe to me but I wasn’t able to search for it since its title is written in another language or in characters I cannot type. One of my kids enjoys listening to songs in other languages (for some reason). Recently, she liked a video that showed a cartoon of a bird with an injured wing who was singing a song (which I am guessing was in an Indian language or dialect). Although the song is in another language, the video resonates with my kid as she shows it to me and plays it again after the song ends. Plus, I can see my kid is learning empathy from it and can describe different emotions as a result of what is happening in the video.
In short, vigilant parents can utilize YouTube Kids as a safe and educational platform for their kids to learn from. The control features on YouTube Kids allow parents to manage the content that kids watch. This app allows kids to have fun watching how other kids play, sing along with their favorite songs, and learn from the age-appropriate educational content.
FAQ
Q. Is there a kid-friendly version of YouTube?
Yes. YouTube Kids is a version of the popular video website that has been specifically designed for children under 13 years old, it is also 100% free with virtually ads-free videos and unlimited access to shows. On YouTube Kids, parents can lock certain settings such as selecting which channels they want their child to be able to see and disable search. However, you should always watch the content before letting your child watch or this could lead them down a harmful path or give them ideas about bad behavior.
Q. How do I put parental controls on YouTube?
Toggle the “Restricted Mode” to the “on” position under Settings on the YouTube app; this can also be done by signing onto your account on YouTube.com and selecting “activate restricted mode.” This setting control only applies to the YouTube app for the device you are on. This means that if you have multiple children with multiple devices, you would need to turn on Restricted Mode on each device. You can also log in to your Google account, go to Google.com/preferences and click the box called “Turn on SafeSearch”.
There is another option that does not control the access but gives pop-up notifications instead. To do this, click on the image to your account and click on “Time Watched” (this should be the fifth option below your name and “Manage your Google Account” but above “Get YouTube TV”). Toggle “Remind me to take a break” on to get a reminder to stop watching YouTube videos after a specified length of time has passed. You can also toggle “Remind me when it’s bedtime” to the on position if you want a notification to pop up when it’s your kids’ bedtime. These notifications go away after being dismissed.
If you’re looking for more control than a friendly reminder, there are parental control apps out there you can download from the Google Play Store or iTunes store. These can add an extra layer of protection in between your browser and YouTube content too, so even if somebody tries scrolling down after clicking a video in your thumbnail list, they won't be able to come across anything but the last one they scrolled to.
Q. What is the best tablet for Kids?
When you're looking for a tablet for a child, there are a few things that should be at the top of your list. An important goal is to buy one that offers parental control. This will give you full authority over what any other friend can do on your child's tablet as well as the ability to monitor usage patterns as needed. It's also important to look at how frequently updates are released and whether or not patches are included, as these elements correspond directly to security measures taken by manufacturers. The last thing you'll want to examine is where those apps come from - but if it's a Google-run device then this step is already taken care of for you!
You should also consider what would fit the needs of your family. For us, Apple iPads were not affordable, but I decided on them after saving money since they were extremely durable, easy to use, especially convenient, and already had numerous parental controls such as the ability to limit App Store purchases, restrict built-in apps and features, prevent explicit content, and prevent web content. Initially, I used the iPad as a baby monitor using the Facetime feature by making a call to my iPhone when I had to be in another room momentarily while my baby was asleep (while washing dishes, for example). Since it had software support over time and its hardware and construction were well-made, it will stand the test of time and be resilient enough to survive toddlers. Thus, it was ultimately an economic choice in the long run. Plus, I especially timed it so that I made the purchase after receiving cash back rewards, which softened the blow of the expense since it was like having a personal discount, making the whole ordeal not so financially detrimental.
Q. What toys are good for learning?
As a toy, a puzzle is one of the best toys for helping children to learn. Puzzles make children think critically about the different shapes and rotations needed to complete them properly, and in turn, can help with spatial reasoning skills. A puzzle is also relatively low cost, making it an easy gift that will be suitable for most budgets. In addition, puzzles encourage patience which can have lifelong benefits.
Puzzles come in various shapes and sizes. They are the traditional jigsaw cardboard puzzles, giant floor puzzles, or 3D puzzles. There are also shape sorters or wooden peg puzzles with farm animals, numbers, or letters.
Q. What are learning toys called?
You can search for “STEM” or “STEAM” and “SEL” toys. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, while the acronym STEAM stands for the same words, except it adds the “A” for Arts. These toys expose kids to those particular subjects and help them learn about the world as well as skills associated with them such as creativity through arts, or innovation through engineering (building) toys. SEL stands for Social and Emotional Learning. SEL toys can teach kids about empathy and collaboration which can be particularly helpful as we all become more and more connected with people from diverse backgrounds because of advancements in technology. Children who grow up to be executives or managers of diverse people (or anyone who wants to exert any influence, for that matter) will need these invaluable skills.
Knowing that our children may not have the jobs that exist today, you may want to expose your kids to coding toys. Aside from practicality for jobs that require programming in the future, coding toys also teach problem-solving and critical thinking skills, which are needed to learn to be adaptable in any given situation.
Some kids gravitate towards sensory toys, which can help them to reach or strengthen certain developmental milestones, such as balancing. Sensory toys are not just for those on the autism spectrum, they can be a stress reliever for some kids in certain scenarios. For example, some kids may feel anxious in the car and want a pop or bubble toy to fiddle with. Did you ever play on a swing, ride on a scooter board, or throw a weighted ball in elementary school during physical education class? Those are sensory toys too! Sensory toys have value in allowing children to explore textures, learn hand-eye coordination, provide sensory input, and increase muscle strength.
Q. What's the best music to play to a baby in the womb?
I recommend music or sound therapy to be played to an unborn child. A lot of the things that are usually not thought of as producing sounds also do produce them; organs like the gallbladder and arteries have systems for transferring blood without using any plates or valves, so these registers cause waves in the surrounding fluid. But there are interesting studies suggesting that fetal response to stimuli is not limited just to responses evoked by touch, but also responds to what they hear while inside the womb. It's only natural then that playing music would have a positive effect on infants' behavioral development, cognitive skills, and language abilities because their brains are still developing rapidly during this period and sound is another stimulus the brain can process and learn about.
Some say that classical music is better for babies to hear in the womb because playing classical music stimulates neural development and helps to shape a child's musical ear. In one study, babies played with no recorded background noise showed improved performance when listening to pre-recorded melodies after two months of birth. Pictures of the children's brains show changes in patterns from when they were still unborn fetuses. However, some babies may not have an affinity for classical music. While in my belly, I noticed that my daughter responded to Christmas music, Christian songs, and pop songs that played on the radio.
The type of language a mother speaks during her pregnancy is also very influential - if she speaks Spanish, for example, then the newborn will recognize Spanish sounds above others. This is partly down to prenatal exposure but also because what we hear while in the womb influences how we perceive sound after being born.
Q. Is Blippi good for learning?
I don’t particularly like anything about Blippy, except his favorite colors, which happen to be similar to my alma mater’s official colors (Go Waves!); but, I believe that Blippi can be a valuable tool for younger children such as those in preschool or kindergarten. My 2 year old currently watches Blippi and from what I observed, he likes Blippi’s expressions, the bright colors, and the places that Blippi visits. Blippi teaches about different animals, colors, numbers, and other topics that are good for various ages. However, I had to explain to my kid that Blippi made a mistake and kept calling the hexagon a pentagon in one of his videos. Despite some careless mistakes, Blippi introduces children to different ways of communicating such as Sign Language. I have also seen other channels that overlay Sign Language onto Blippi videos. He also shows that all jobs and hobbies should be respected no matter the profession. Teaching respect is admirable and mom-approved in my book.
Q. How can parents manage privacy for their children?
The internet is a global library and should be accessed as such. While many parents work to provide for their children's needs and safety, the internet can be dangerous. I would suggest three things: first, use parental control software; second, we should teach children to use the internet beyond basic browsing; and third, we should teach children about possible ways that data can be used and how others might have access to it. The reason for exercising caution when it comes to the web is that people with bad intentions can exist anywhere. More importantly, children have rights that we as parents should prudently protect.
Q. What type of toys should kids have?
One of the best toys all kids have probably played with at one point or another is blocks because they allow them to fulfill their desire to build towers and structures, and then knock out whatever they built, and play pretend. If you want your child to get even more invested in the building process, try a set that has different colors, shapes, or letters on its sides--these added details could be interesting enough to entice kids who might otherwise have been unimpressed. Building with blocks also has an added benefit that includes teaching children about physics and geometry while they're playing!
As children grow older, Legos may be more appropriate for them. Legos can keep your child busy for quite a while building anything their imagination can design. Not only does Legos promote creativity, but it can also teach patience, fine motor skills, and problem-solving. Plus, it can be a positive and encouraging feeling to complete a project or have a vision come to life.
An important factor when selecting toys for kids is their ability to have different ways to play with them or allow different ways to apply their imagination. Toys that are versatile or can “grow with” and adapt to your growing child may hold your child’s interest longer and may be a good investment all around.
The best way to know what type of toys your kids should have is to pay attention to their developmental stage and watch what they are doing now. That is, are they doing something new or different? Are they taking more interest in some things more than others? What behaviors do you observe in your child’s play or interaction with others? What are they interested in? You can utilize their interests along with a toy to drive their learning and development. Kids naturally learn about their world through play so it is important to select toys that can help them do that.
Do you notice them reaching for your tools such as cooking utensils or pens and paper? Then it may be time to get them their own kid pots and pans and spatula to pretend cooking in the kitchen, or maybe they would enjoy hands-on play with crayons, paint, or playdough to give your child time to be creative and to explore their senses.
Kids can also use their imagination to make everyday items a toy. Have you ever experienced buying a huge (expensive) toy for your child, but all they seem to be excited about is the cardboard box?! Or, do you remember hours of fun creating forts from couch cushions? Consider these things also when selecting a toy for your child, because you might discover that they love doing the same things you did as a kid!