Kids today spend a lot of time watching videos on YouTube. Google’s popular video site is a treasure trove of all kinds of content, but not everything uploaded there is suitable for or targeted at kids. A few days ago, Google released YouTube Kids, a special app that was built with kids in mind.
The app features a simplified design, terrific animations, playful interface sounds and is a joy to use. It features four main sections — Shows (kid-friendly YouTube channels), Music (playful songs, nursery rhymes, etc.), Learning and Explore. There’s also a Search available that lets you access other videos, but you can turn this off from the Settings. These four sections can be navigated using the four icons at the top of thr screen, which animate wonderfully when you tap on them. There’s a padlock icon at the bottom which lets you access the app’s settings, a timer (to limit app usage) and provide feedback. These three sections are protected with a four-digit numeric code that is generated randomly each time and which you have to read in words. I’d have preferred a way to set my own PIN instead. From the app’s settings, you can toggle background music, sound effects and search.
YouTube Kids is available for iOS (Universal App) as well as for Android as a Free app, but it currently limited to US only.