YouTube is planning to launch new parental controls using supervised Google account, which allows parents to control and restrict the accounts of their wards who have surpassed the YouTube Kids category, but are not yet adults either – essentially Teens and Tweens.
With this new feature, parents will have the option to set up a supervised account for kids, including those who are otherwise legally too young to create an individual account (under 13 in the US). On signing up, parents will have the choice to give different access option to their children, which has been divided into three categories by YouTube.
The first and most restricted of these would be the “Explore” mode, essentially aimed at tweens just out of the YouTube Kids mode. This tier will allow them to browse through videos which are rated for viewers aged nine plus. Then comes the second tier, called “Explore More”, which allows a little more access. This will show videos which are rated for teens, aged 13 and above. And the most liberal tier, for older teens on the verge of legal adulthood, there is the option of “Most Of YouTube”, which would let the user view all the videos on YouTube except its age restricted content (which is rated 18+).
Parents will be able to view and manage their child’s search as well as watch history, while YouTube will also disable some features on these supervised accounts. This would include disabling access to the comment and create section, in-app purchases, as well personalized ads. While kids will still be shown ads, these will be the same ones as those shown in the YouTube Kids mode. Of course, parents also have the option of switching off ads altogether by subscribing to YouTube premium.
The company plans to launch these new modes within a few months over 80 countries. Naturally, these new features will not be smooth sailing, much like the more kid friendly YouTube Kids. There will be slipups, as this is just a heavily machine curated endeavor. Still, it is a good option for parents wishing for their children to expand their horizon, and give them a little more freedom to explore, without exposing them to the wide and weird world of YouTube just yet.
