You can now share standard Youtube videos with Youtube Kids accounts at your discretion

I was watching Youtube this morning (yes, you should absolutely subscribe to Viva La Dirt League, they’re hilarious) and I happened upon a new option on the share sheet on my Google Pixel 6 Pro running Android 12. You’ll notice in the images below that a new “With kids” option now appears to the right of the “Copy link” feature, indicating that you can, in fact, share standard Youtube video links with your kids if they’re set up on Google Family Link.

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Upon tapping it, a “Share with your kids” dialogue will pop up along with whatever profile picture your child has set for their account on Youtube Kids. When you share a link this way, it will be available on Youtube Kids going forward when they browse. Obviously, clicking the link via email will immediately pull it up for them to watch, and after they watch it, it will appear in their history.

I have yet to see an official announcement regarding this update, but it most certainly has something to do with Google’s desire to create a safer, but more useful place for tweens and teens as it discussed last February. Parents and guardians have the choice to let their kids explore a more open and discoverable Youtube or even most of Youtube if they’re a bit older but still under-aged for the real, unfiltered experience.

While it launched in beta, I still haven’t had the option to set this up, but with the new “Share with kids” option appearing in the Android share sheet, I’m willing to bet that Google is really starting to think of new ways it can allow adults to share interesting videos with the kiddos at their discretion. I’m obviously not sharing Viva La Dirt League with my six-year-old, but I will be able to let him see more Austin John Plays content for the upcoming Pokemon Legends Arceus without temporarily toggling off Family Link entirely.

Let me know in the comments section if this is appearing for you on Android 12, or on any other version of Android via link sharing in the official Youtube app. I’m hoping that once shared, adults can revoke access to videos just as easily as they can share them, and also that the ability to share entire channels can be added after this feature officially launches.