YouTube shows popular videos and recommends videos it thinks a user will like. A user can subscribe to a creator’s channel or create their own channel to share their own content.t. YouTube ‘Shorts’ shows videos up to 1 minute long. A user can pay for ‘YouTube Premium’ to do things like watch a video without adverts.
Users are encouraged to sign in to YouTube using their Google account (minimum age 13). Under 13s may use YouTube if they have a ‘supervised’ Google account. This means the parent can choose from the ‘Explore’, ‘Explore more’ or ‘Most of YouTube’ content settings as appropriate for their child, e.g. limiting livestreams. A parent can set up a supervised Google account on YouTube or Google Family Link.
YouTube’s parental controls for under 13s can block videos and control what children can watch or search for. Children who are ‘supervised’ in this way cannot upload their own video content or livestream. Parents can see what their child has watched and set ‘Restricted Mode’ for children’s accounts aged 13+, which helps to block adult content.
Many parents encourage their children to use YouTube Kids as an alternative to YouTube. It is a video streaming app for children up to 12 years old, which has been created to give parents greater oversight and control over how their child uses a video streaming app.
*Users under the age of 13 will require relevant permissions from parents/guardians
