YouTube has announced extensive parental controls for teens and teens. The upcoming feature is aimed at those who may have outgrown the boundaries of YouTube Kids. YouTube will be launching a public beta for the supervised account in the coming months.
Through supervised Google Accounts, parents can choose from three content settings. If you are comfortable enough to give your children access to a wider range of videos on the site than those for young children, you can enable the exploration setting. It will unlock a series of videos that, according to YouTube, will be generally suitable for children ages nine and older. These include vlogs, game clips, music videos, news and educational content.
The Explore More area is geared toward teens. This will include a larger amount of videos, including live streams for the type of content that appears in the exploration environment. Most of the YouTube option is self-explanatory. It blocks age-restricted videos, but otherwise gives older teens access to almost anything on the platform.
YouTube uses a mix of machine learning, user feedback, and human reviewers to determine which videos are enabled for each setting. It acknowledged that the system would not be perfect and that some inappropriate videos would slip through the cracks, but it would evolve and improve the experience under supervision over time.
Along with the content settings, parents can see their children’s viewing and search history. They can still enable other restrictions through Google’s Family Link, including time limits. YouTube plans to add more controls, including the option to block certain videos.
In addition to the content, the feature will in other ways restrict accounts between teens and teens. YouTube will not offer them personalized ads or certain ad categories, and in-app purchases will be disabled. Some comments and creation features will be eliminated, though YouTube intends to eventually enable some of them “through an age-appropriate and parental-controlled approach.”
With the help of National PTA, Parent Zone and Be Internet Awesome, YouTube has created a guide to help parents determine how to best supervise their children on the platform. It also works with creators to conduct a campaign to discuss topics such as misinformation, bullying, harassment and digital well-being.
The service says it will continue to work on YouTube Kids, which they say is a better option for younger children than supervised accounts, by expanding the features and tools available to parents. Below is the option to enable access to certain videos or channels.