YouTube
MediumThe recommended videos are the problem — the algorithm will walk your child somewhere you didn't intend.
Ages 6–9Ages 10–12Ages 13–15Ages 16+
| Minimum age | 13 |
| Strangers can contact | No |
| Location sharing | No |
| Disappearing messages | |
| Parental visibility | Limited |
What it actually is
YouTube itself has enormous amounts of appropriate content. The issue is the recommendation algorithm, which optimizes for watch time and can lead kids from age-appropriate content to increasingly extreme, inappropriate, or disturbing material through autoplay. Comments on videos expose kids to strangers. For younger children, YouTube Kids is a meaningfully safer alternative with a curated content library.
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For under-13 — use YouTube Kids instead
- Download the YouTube Kids app (separate from YouTube)
- During setup, select your child's age range
- Choose "Approved content only" to manually approve every video
- Set a daily time limit in the app settings
- Create a passcode so your child can't change settings
For teens on regular YouTube
- Sign into their Google account on YouTube
- Settings (profile icon) → General → Restricted Mode → ON
- This filters most mature content from search and recommendations
- Settings → Autoplay → turn OFF (stops the algorithm rabbit hole)
Supervised Experience (new)
- On your Google Family Link account, enable YouTube Supervised Experience
- Lets you choose between Explore, Explore More, and Most of YouTube tiers
Last updated: 4/17/2026