Is YouTube Safe for Kids?
An incredible learning resource and an easy rabbit hole. The main app suits teens with supervision; younger children should be on YouTube Kids with a parent-curated experience.
What is YouTube?
YouTube is the world’s largest video platform. The main app is rated 13+. YouTube Kids is a separate, filtered app for younger children with parental controls.
The real risks
- Autoplay and recommendations pull viewers into long sessions and mature content.
- Comments and some creators are not kid-appropriate.
- Even YouTube Kids occasionally surfaces content that slips through filters.
What parents can do
- Put younger children on YouTube Kids and set the content level and a timer.
- For teens, turn on Restricted Mode and supervised settings via Family Link.
- Block clearly harmful categories at the network level as a backstop.
Going deeper: read our full guide.
How Everloom helps
Everloom blocks clearly harmful content across your whole home at the network level, so apps like this are covered without an install on every device. It then turns your family's week into one calm summary with a few good questions to ask, so you can guide with wisdom instead of fear.
Common questions
YouTube Kids is a separate, filtered app for younger children with parental controls and curated content. The main YouTube app is rated 13+ and is far less restricted.