Are YouTube Kids’ New Security Features Enough?

Did you know that YouTube provides a special version of its app designed especially for children? Initially launched in 2015 to cater to toddlers and younger children, the latest app updates see YouTube broaden its age range. New features include homepage screens that adapt to the age of your child, individual passcodes to cater for siblings sharing a device and new parental controls to allow greater control over the type of content that children can view on the app. However, YouTube openly admits that their child filters are not flawless, so parents need to familiarise themselves with the new security features.

To ensure parents have the ability to filter what their children view on the YouTube Kids app, new security features have been added to allow the ability to switch off standard search. In addition, parents can now securely login to the YouTube Kids app using their own personal Google Accounts, allowing them to personally curate the content of the platform. So, if you have children using the app, be sure to check out the new features and tailor them as you see appropriate.

With content from top creators like Dreamworks, Jim Henson and National Geographic Kids available on the app, parents are sure to continue to see the appeal as an educational and entertainment tool. However, are these new security features enough to protect young minds from the inappropriate content that we know is on full view in various areas of the Web?

Any child with access to a smartphone now has access to a store full of social networking apps, games and endless articles and videos. Of course, there are many Kids apps and platforms tailored at safely educating and entertaining children, however, it still remains the responsibility of parents and carers to ensure a child’s digital experience is a safe one. Apps, websites and social media remain a relatively new technology, plus they are changing constantly. To ensure continued appropriate use of these platforms by children, we need to rely on human intervention rather than just technology.

What do you think of parental control for the web? What methods do you use?

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