YouTube expanded its supervised account options for kids to the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. YouTube’s kid accounts are designed to complement its existing teen account protections, in providing more protection options for younger users.
Available within YouTube’s Family Center, YouTube’s supervised kid accounts let parents choose from three content settings that will dictate what their child is exposed to in the app.
As shown in this sequence, parents will be able to choose which version of YouTube their child is able to watch, and what content level is appropriate. YouTube said the content settings here are broadly aligned with international content ratings.
YouTube’s updated child accounts will also include a Shorts feed timer option, so parents can manage how long their kids are scrolling the Shorts feed. YouTube added that option to U.S. teen accounts in April, a month after introducing U.S. supervised kid accounts.
Supervised kid accounts also come with built-in protections that are enacted by default for all users under 18. Those protections include Take a Break and Bedtime reminders designed to encourage mindful viewing.
Parents will also be able to dictate whether their child can create content or write comments, and these child accounts will not be served targeted ads.
As noted, YouTube’s new kid accounts are an add-on to the platform’s existing teen supervision options, which already include a range of settings to protect teen users.
YouTube will be hoping that the addition of more control options will help ease calls for social media restrictions for young users. In its July 1 announcement, the platform also reiterated its stance that digital literacy education is a better approach than exclusion.
As per YouTube: “Young people and their families use YouTube as a place to learn and explore their passions. The MENA region boasts exceptional educational channels, from Science Street to Droos Online, which includes English language courses and academic study guidance. In Türkiye, creators like TRT Çocuk and Kukuli offer culturally relevant animations and music for younger children and their families.”
YouTube said its supervised kid accounts were created in conjunction with independent child development specialists, and are designed to generate age-appropriate experiences “to protect kids in the digital world, not from it.”
According to a study conducted by Pew Research in 2023, around 90% of teens aged 13 to 17 use YouTube regularly, making it the most widely used app among younger audiences.
