YouTube Allows Parents to Limit YouTube Kids Content

• YouTube now allows parents to limit YouTube Kids content to only human-approved videos.
• The approved content can be customized to allow children to view only videos that have been approved to allow more granular control over content.
• The move comes following several controversies surrounding YouTube Kids’ algorithm

Earlier this month, it was reported that YouTube was planning on releasing a whitelisted YouTube Kids app shortly that would rely on human filtering instead of AI. Google confirmed this feature earlier today announcing several parental controls for kids.

The new YouTube Kids controls allow users to get access to handpicked videos by humans instead of relying on algorithmic filtering. Parents can disable search on a child’s profile to prevent kids from accessing the search features, and the app will only present the curated videos. Recommended videos will also be limited by the app once the feature is turned on.

The feature was released by YouTube to allow more granular control, allowing parents to manually approve of channels or videos. Parents can select or block entire categories, and their children will not be able to see videos from blacklisted categories unless they are manually whitelisted again.

Image Courtesy of Behance

YouTube Kids has been in the center of controversy. The YouTube Kids AI was caught showing conspiracy theory videos to children that claim the Earth is flat and that the Moon landings were faked. Last year, there were incidents of the app recommending disturbing content to children using recognizable Disney characters and superheroes.

TechCrunch reports YouTube has been actively trying to tone down inappropriate content. The company has hired 10,000 people in an attempt to address moderation issues. The team will double check all content to ensure no inappropriate content makes it to the video feed. Creators who post content that makes inappropriate use of family-friendly characters will no longer be able to monetize their videos.

The whitelisting option for YouTube Kids will be out later this week, and other granular controls will be added throughout the year. The AI-based content curation will continue to exist as YouTube is trying to improve the automated recommendations not to include anything that is inappropriate for children.