Youtube Kids releasing new parental controls this year, expands to more countries

Having launched in 2015, Youtube Kids sought to create a safer environment for kids and families to explore and engage in video content. It gave parents the tools they needed to protect their children by blocking videos and reporting content that was suspicious or vulgar. It also gave the ability to only allow videos from specific channels or just individual videos period. You could even block the search capability and filter content for kids based on their age groups.

In a blog post yesterday, the Youtube team states that there are now over 35 million weekly viewers across more than 80 countries who use Youtube Kids. That includes the 11 new countries that were added just a few days ago.

• Bolivia
• Costa Rica
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Uraguay

From arts and crafts, educational content, and even art or nutrition, there’s a lot of content here to explore. Because of its popularity, the company will soon offer new parental tools, including the ability to let parents add specific videos and channels directly from the core Youtube experience to their children’s viewing choices on Youtube Kids!

While they didn’t give any other specifics regarding what these tools will be when they finally launch, they did say that they are coming this year. In the meantime, you can check out the Youtube Kids Parent Resources section of their website to learn how you can use the platform to get tools and tips to help your kid explore the digital world safely. Here, they give you various tutorials on how to block or allow specific content for your little ones, how to remove paid ads by subscribing to Youtube Premium, and just how to make use of the service in general.

If you’re not already signed up for Google Family Link or if you haven’t yet checked out the “Be Internet Awesome” initiative, you should. Both of them help you understand the tools available to you as a parent or guardian to help your kids stay safe online and to become good digital citizens. What parental controls do you hope Youtube Kids releases this year?

I’m personally rooting for just a full sweep of the platform to remove scary or vulgar content. My son has all but stopped using it because every time I turn my back there’s something weird that I need to report. Let’s chat about this in the comments!