Ever since YouTube Kids was released in 2015, Google has dealt with one debacle after another over inappropriate and sometimes disturbing videos showing up in video feeds marketed as a safe space online for children.
The problem is simply that there's too much potentially unsuitable content on the platform, and YouTube doesn't have enough human moderators or good enough algorithms to sort through it all. That's why the newest features rolling out to YouTube Kids are such a long-awaited no-brainer: just let parents control what videos their kids can and cannot watch.
YouTube is adding three new options in the YouTube Kids app: parental controls over what channels and videos kids can watch; a more closely managed "search-off" mode; and trusted "collections" of channels curated by YouTube and approved partners like Sesame Workshop and PBS Kids.
The biggest addition here is the parental control feature, which allows parents to hand-pick every channel and video their child has access to within the YouTube Kids app. The whitelisting feature lets parents toggle on an "approved content only" option, and then scroll through available channels and videos and check boxes for the ones they want to appear. The feature will roll out "later this year," James Beser, Product Director for YouTube Kids, said in a blog post.
Google previously announced age-specific profiles for YouTube Kids users, but until now there was no way for parents to directly approve and manage available content.
Starting this week, YouTube Kids will also have an improved "search-off" mode. Parents have always had the ability to turn off search within the app, but until now YouTube Kids still surfaced recommended videos, some of which contained inappropriate content. Search-off mode will now only include channels that have been verified by the YouTube Kids team, meaning approved by a human, not an algorithm.
Speaking of actual humans, the new YouTube Kids "trusted collections" are another step toward removing automation from the app's content moderation process. On the Profile Settings page, when parents are choosing which content to approve, they'll now see a list of channels and playlists directly approved by the YouTube Kids team or from verified partners.
"For parents who like the current version of YouTube Kids and want a wider selection of content, it's still available. While no system is perfect, we continue to fine-tune, rigorously test and improve our filters for this more open version of our app," Beser wrote in the blog post. "And, as always, we encourage parents to block and flag videos for review that they don't think should be in the YouTube Kids app.
Beser said the trusted collections will include content on subjects like arts and crafts, learning, music, and sports. Trusted collections are also launching this week with Sesame Workshop and PBS Kids as inaugural partners, though Beser said YouTube Kids will add more partners over time.