YouTube Kids & YouTube supervised experiences: Viewing Options for Families
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You can decide what YouTube experience is best for your family. Use the chart below to learn the differences between a supervised account on YouTube and the YouTube Kids app.
| YouTube Kids | Supervised experiences for pre-teens and teens | |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? |
A separate app that’s a safer and simpler experience for kids. Comes with tools for parents and caregivers to guide their viewing journey. Learn more at youtube.com/kids. |
Pre-teens: A parent-managed version of regular YouTube with limited features and digital well-being protections. Comes with content settings for pre-teens or older. Learn more about pre-teen supervised experiences. Teens: A voluntary supervised experience of regular YouTube that parents or teens can set up. Parents get insights into their teen’s channel activity. Learn more about teen supervised experiences. |
| Who is it for? | Kids whose parents want to handpick content for them to watch. Kids whose parents want to choose content for them to watch based on 3 age-based content settings:
|
Pre-teens: Kids under 13 (or the relevant age in their country or region) whose parents decide they’re ready to explore YouTube with parent-selected content settings applied. Teens: Teens over 13 (or the relevant age in their country or region) who are using YouTube but still want some supervision. |
| How much content is available for my child? |
Includes a smaller selection of videos than a supervised account on YouTube. The amount of available content changes according to the content setting you choose (in order):
|
Pre-teens: Includes more videos and music than our separate YouTube Kids app. The amount of available content changes according to the content setting you choose:
Kids with the Explore more or Most of YouTube content setting can read video comments. Teens: All of YouTube, except age-restricted content. |
| What’s different about each content setting? |
The YouTube Kids app offers content settings that align to different ages. Preschool aligns with ages 4 and under. Younger aligns with ages 5–8. Older aligns with ages 9–12. Parents can also define profiles for their kids’ viewing to handpick the videos they have access to. Learn more about YouTube Kids content settings. |
Pre-teens: Supervised accounts offer content settings that generally align with content ratings for viewers ages 9+, 13+, or most of YouTube. Doesn’t include age-restricted content. Learn more about content settings for families using supervised experiences. Teens: There aren’t content settings for teens. |
| Can I decide exactly what videos my child sees? | You can handpick only the exact videos you want your kid to have access to. Learn more. |
Pre-teens: You can select the content setting for your child’s Google Account, then YouTube does the work to appropriately filter out undesired videos. You can also block channels. If you find a video you believe is inappropriate, you can report it. Teens: No, you can’t decide what content they see. |
| How can I set screen time limits for my child? | Use the YouTube Kids app to directly define screen time settings or use the Google Family Link app to manage screen time limits for your child. | Pre-teens and teens: If your child's Google Account is supervised with Family Link, you can use the Google Family Link app to manage screen time limits for your child's supervised devices. |
| Is a Google Account for my child required? | No, a Google Account isn’t required. |
Pre-teens: Yes. Learn how to create a Google Account for your child under 13 (or the relevant age in their country/region). You can manage your child’s Google Account with Family Link. Teens: Yes, your teen needs a Google Account and will need their own YouTube channel. |
To learn more about creating a pre-teen supervised account on YouTube, go to Get started with supervised accounts. You can also learn more about supervised experiences for teens.
If you want more info about YouTube Kids, check out the YouTube Kids Parental Guide.