ENTERTAINMENT
Parental Controls for YouTube Kids
A separate app for younger children, with a smaller, curated library and tighter controls than the main YouTube.
THE 30-SECOND OVERVIEW
What You Need to Know About YouTube Kids
YouTube Kids is a standalone app, separate from the main platform, built for younger children. It draws on a smaller, curated library rather than all of YouTube, and it groups content into age bands you choose between. Children cannot reach the wider platform from inside it, and the parent settings sit behind a passcode.
Even a curated library is sorted by machine rather than hand-picked, so the odd unsuitable video can still appear. The strongest control is Approved Content Only, where your child watches only what you have added. Most of the work is deciding how tight to set it, then loosening as your child grows.
SET-UP GUIDANCE
👉 Do This First
Parental controls can feel overwhelming at the start. We recommend setting up these foundations first before anything else.
Set Up Your Child's Profile
What it does: The app builds the experience around the profile you create, including its starting content level. Set one up per child rather than sharing one, so each gets content matched to their stage. You stay signed in as the parent in the background.
Learn more: https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/7554914Â
Set the Parent Passcode
What it does: A passcode behind the lock icon stops your child changing their own content level, search or timer. Set it before you hand the device over, and the choices below will hold.
Learn more: https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6172308Â
🛠️ Customise For Your Family
Fine tune what your child can do in the app with these settings. We recommend reviewing these settings periodically and adjusting them to match your child's growth.
Set the Content Maturity Level
What it does: Choose Preschool for ages 4 and under, Younger for 5 to 8, or Older for 9 to 12, each opening up a little more. For the tightest control, switch on Approved Content Only, where your child sees only the channels and videos you add yourself. Start tighter than you think you need.
Learn more: https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6172308#zippy=%2Cchange-your-childs-content-level-settingsÂ
Decide Whether They Can Search
What it does: With search off, your child stays inside the recommended set for their level, or the content you have approved. With search on, they can look things up themselves and reach more of the library. Off is the safer starting point for younger children.
Learn more:
https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6162907?sjid=7598392526125132776-NCÂ
Limit Screen Time
What it does: Set how long the app can run in a session, and it locks itself when the time is up. This is the simplest way to cap viewing without a separate app. YouTube Kids has no Shorts feed, so there is nothing extra to switch off there.
Learn more: https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6130558?hl=en
Disable Autoplay
What it does: You can disable autoplay so the next video doesn’t automatically start playing once one finishes. This is another helpful way to control screen time and manage the content your child watches.Â
Learn more: https://support.google.com/youtubekids/answer/6172308#zippy=%2Cturn-off-autoplayÂ
Set Approved Content Only
What it does: This setting only allows your child to watch the videos, channels, and collections you’ve approved. In this setting, your child can’t search for any videos in YouTube Kids.Â
⚠️ What These Controls Won't Do
The app is the most contained option for young children, but two things are worth knowing.
It filters by machine, not by hand. The curated library is sorted by automated systems, so an unsuitable video can still appear and a fine one can be hidden. Approved Content Only is the way to remove that doubt, by limiting viewing to what you add yourself.
Children outgrow it. By around 9 or 10, the Kids app starts to feel limited, and a child who wants the latest video will look for it elsewhere. When that happens, the next step might be a supervised account on the main YouTube app rather than an unrestricted one.
Things to Watch Out For:Â
Your child asking for "the normal YouTube," or finding their way into the main app, is a sign they may have outgrown YouTube Kids.
Strange or off-key videos turning up in the recommended row, which are worth blocking and reporting.
Long sessions you did not intend, when no timer is set.
A profile set to an older age band than suits your child, opening content too soon.
LAST UPDATED: JULY 2026
Settings and features change often, so please visit the app's official sources for the latest updates. The links provided are external sources, please note that we do not assume responsibility for the content found on these external links.