Understand YouTube & YouTube Kids options for your child
When you use Family Link to manage a Google Account for your child, you can set up parental controls on:
- YouTube Kids: If available in your location. Learn where YouTube Kids is available.
- YouTube: With a supervised account. Learn where supervised accounts on YouTube are available.
What you need
Option 1: YouTube Kids
The YouTube Kids app and web experience includes popular children's videos and new content, delivered in a way that’s safe and easy to use for children.
You'll need to set up YouTube Kids for your child before they can use it.
Through Family Link, you can:- Choose a content level setting
- Choose to let your child use the search function in YouTube Kids
- Unblock videos
Important: Before you’re able to update settings, you must grant your child access to YouTube Kids.
- On your device, open the Family Link app 👁 Family Link
. - Select your child.
- Tap Controls 👁 and then
YouTube. - Under “YouTube Kids Settings,” you can:
- Update content level settings.
- Turn Search on or off.
- Remove access to YouTube Kids.
- On your device, open the YouTube app 👁 YouTube
. - At the bottom right, tap your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Settings 👁 and then
Family Center. - Select your child.
- Under “What can they watch” and “Privacy Settings,” you can:
- Update content level settings
- Turn Search on or off
- Remove access to YouTube Kids
Option 2: YouTube supervised experience
Important: If your child is over 13 years old, or the applicable age in your country or region, and chooses to manage their own account, you won't be able to supervise their experience on YouTube with these controls. Check the applicable age in your country or region.
To filter out potentially mature content, you can:
Supervised experiences on YouTube let your child transition from YouTube Kids to YouTube with parental controls. With a supervised account, you can choose how much access to give your child on YouTube, filter out unwanted content, and manage your child’s screen time.
Through Family Link, you can:
- Choose between 3 YouTube content level settings: Explore, Explore more, or Most of YouTube.
- Pause Watch or Search history.
- Unblock videos: Clear the selection of videos and channels you blocked on YouTube Kids.
- When you block or unblock videos on YouTube Kids, the same videos are blocked or unblocked on your child’s YouTube supervised account.
Learn more about all settings for supervised experiences on YouTube.
You can set up a supervised experience on YouTube for your child who is under 13 (or the applicable age in your country or region).
You’re not eligible for a supervised experience on YouTube if:
- Your child is over 13 (or applicable age in your country or region), unless you created your child’s supervised Google Account before they reached the applicable age in your country or region, and your child hasn't taken over management of their account.
- You live in the European Union, you set up supervision for your child before April 2021, and your child was under the applicable age in your country or region at that time.
Change content level settings on YouTube
Important:
- Your child must have a Google Account managed by Family Link.
- Some features on YouTube aren’t currently available for children under 13 years old (or the applicable age in your country or region) with a supervised Google Account. Learn more about supervised experiences on YouTube.
- On your device, open the Family Link app 👁 Family Link
. - Select your child.
- Tap Controls 👁 and then
YouTube or YouTube Family Center. - Under “YouTube Settings,” tap Edit.
- Choose the content setting you want to change.
- To confirm, tap Select.
- On your device, open the YouTube app 👁 YouTube
. - At the bottom right, select your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Settings 👁 and then
Family Center. - Select your child.
- Tap What they can watch 👁 and then
Content setting. - Select the content setting you want to change.
- To confirm, tap Select.
Update general settings for YouTube and YouTube Kids
These settings apply to both YouTube and YouTube Kids.
- On your device, open the Family Link app 👁 Family Link
. - Select your child.
- Tap Controls 👁 and then
YouTube. - Under “General Settings,” you can:
- Turn Disable autoplay, Pause watch history or Pause search history on or off.
- Clear Search and Watch history.
- Unblock videos.
Tip: You can only block or unblock videos if you have set up YouTube Kids. When you block or unblock videos on YouTube Kids, the same videos are blocked on your child’s YouTube supervised account.
- On your device, open the YouTube app 👁 YouTube
. - At the bottom right, select your profile picture or initial.
- Select Settings 👁 and then
Family Center. - Select your child.
- To update your settings:
- In the “Privacy Settings” section, you can:
- Turn Pause watch history or Pause search history on or off.
- Clear search and watch history.
- In the “What they can watch” section, you can unblock videos.
- You can only block or unblock videos if you have set up YouTube Kids.
- When you block or unblock videos on YouTube Kids, the same videos are blocked on your child’s YouTube supervised account.
- In the “Privacy Settings” section, you can:
Tip: To review your child’s watch history, you must be on your child’s device.
Add supervision to an existing Google Account
If you add supervision to an existing account for a child under 13, or the applicable age in your country or region, Google deletes subscriptions and the following content on the account:
- YouTube videos, chats, and comments
- Live chats, posts, playlists, and stories
- Purchased and rented YouTube videos
Tip: Before you set up supervision, Google recommends that children download their data.
Turn Restricted Mode on or off
Once your child turns 13, or the applicable age in your country or region, they’ll have access to YouTube without supervision. To help your child avoid most mature content, you can turn on Restricted mode.
To turn Restricted Mode on or off from Family Link:
- On your device, open the Family Link app 👁 Family Link
. - Select Controls 👁 and then
YouTube. - Turn Restricted Mode on or off.