What’s the difference between a supervised experience on YouTube and regular YouTube?
Your child’s experience will look much like the regular YouTube app and website. But, the videos they can find and watch, features, default account settings, and privacy protections will be different.
The videos they can watch will depend on the content setting you choose for their supervised account. Some features normally available in YouTube won’t be available. Go to our list of some affected features.
Since self-expression and community are integral parts of the YouTube experience, we’ll work with parents and experts as we consider what features to include.
What is YouTube Kids? How is it different from a supervised experience on YouTube?
YouTube Kids is our dedicated app built with kids in mind, while a supervised experience gives parents the choice to let their kids enjoy a supervised version of regular YouTube.
Videos in YouTube Kids are a diverse but smaller selection of videos than what is available on regular YouTube. Videos are selected through a combination of human review, curated playlists from experts, and algorithmic filtering.
Learn more at youtube.com/kids.
What is Restricted Mode? How is it different from the supervised experience on YouTube?
Restricted Mode is an optional setting on YouTube. It helps screen potentially adult content that you may prefer not to see or don’t want others using your device to see. It’s used by certain users, such as libraries, schools, and public institutions, who want a more limited viewing experience on YouTube.
Parents of teens over 13 who have supervised accounts managed by Family Link can also use Restricted Mode. They can control the videos their child can see. Supervised experience on YouTube is available for children under 13 (or relevant age in your country/region) and gives parents other filters and controls to manage their child’s YouTube experience.
The new supervised experience is not yet available for teens over the relevant age in their country/region who have added supervision to their existing Google Accounts.
What are my choices for content settings?
There are three content settings for you to choose from:
- Explore: Generally aligns with content ratings for viewers 9+. Videos include vlogs, tutorials, gaming videos, music videos, news, and more. No live streams, except for Premieres. Some videos contain instances of mild violence, offensive language, controlled substances, and educational videos related to body image and changes, mental and sexual health.
- Explore more: Generally aligns with content ratings for viewers 13+. This setting will include an even larger set of videos. Videos include live streams, vlogs, tutorials, gaming videos, music videos, news, educational videos, DIY, arts and crafts, dance, and more. Some videos contain instances of real-world violence, limited profanity, controlled substances, non-explicit sexual references and topics related to physical, mental, and sexual health and wellbeing.
- Most of YouTube: This setting includes almost everything on YouTube such as live streams. It excludes videos marked as 18+ by our channels, systems, and reviewers. Videos include vlogs, tutorials, gaming videos, music videos, news, educational videos, DIY, arts and crafts, dance, and much more. Some videos will contain sensitive topics that may be appropriate for older teens, such as graphic violence, adult content, nudity, explicit profanity, and topics such as mental illness, dieting, and sexual health.
How does YouTube filter out inappropriate videos?
Our Community Guidelines set out what’s allowed and not allowed on YouTube. These guidelines apply to everyone, regardless of their age. If you set up a supervised account for your child, there are policies to figure out which videos are eligible for the different content settings.
We care deeply about our users and work hard to exclude unsuitable videos, but no automated system of filters is perfect. You can change app permission and content settings for your child at any time. If you find something you believe is inappropriate for YouTube, you can report it.
What about ads? Will my child see them?
To better protect children, ads in certain categories are prohibited and personalized ads are turned off. If you have a YouTube Premium family plan, your child is eligible for ad-free viewing and other shared benefits of membership.
Videos where the creator has told us there’s a paid product placement or endorsement in their video through YouTube’s paid product placement and endorsement notification tools will be shown to supervised accounts on YouTube. These videos must also comply with the ad policy on videos that are made for kids.
How does YouTube protect my child’s privacy?
YouTube is a part of Google and adheres to Google’s privacy policies and principles. We know it’s important for you to understand what personal info we collect in association with your child’s Google Account, why we collect it, and how you can update, manage, export, and delete that info. The Google Privacy Policy and our Privacy Notice for Google Accounts for children under 13 (or relevant age in your country/region) explain our privacy practices for your child’s account.
Your child can manage and learn more about their YouTube privacy settings and controls under "Your Data in YouTube" in their account. This page includes a summary of their video and activity data, settings to manage this data, and info on how their data is used to improve their YouTube experience, like reminding them what they’ve watched, and giving them more relevant recommendations and search results. As the parent manager of your child’s Google Account, you can pause or clear their search and watch history from Family Link, or from your parent settings page in YouTube.
Are supervised accounts available for schools or educational organizations?
Who is eligible for a supervised experience on YouTube?
You can set up a supervised experience on YouTube for your child who is under 13 (or relevant age in your country/region).
You’re not eligible for a supervised experience on YouTube if:
- Your child is over 13 (or relevant age in your country/region), unless you created your child’s supervised Google Account before they reached the relevant age in your country/region, and your child has not 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 relevant age in your country/region at that time.