New YouTube Kids Update Provides Custom Experiences For Children Of Different Ages

YouTube‘s family-friendly app is taking steps to recognize the varying viewership habits exhibited by youngsters of different ages. YouTube Kids has rolled out a suite of new features, including colorful profiles and a dynamic layout that changes its appearance for individual users.

As children set up their own YouTube Kids profiles, they are invited to choose an avatar — whether it be a star, a giraffe, or a banana peel — and enter their birthdate. Once they log in with their personal information, they meet an interface that suits their needs. Younger browsers, for example, experience a look that is heavier on pictures and light on text, while older viewers are presented with an expanded range of content options.

YouTube Kids is also giving children the option to set passcodes for their profiles in order to prevent intrusion from nosy family members. With that tool in place, it won’t be possible for a toddler to accidentally mess up his or her older sibling’s recommendation algorithm.

While most of YouTube Kids’ newest features appeal to its younger users, the video platform hinted at some coming changes for mom and dad. Soon, according to a blog post, parental users of YouTube Kids will have the option to add more videos to the app.

In addition, YouTube is reminding parents that they can help weed out any inappropriate content that may find its way into the YouTube Kids library. “Remember, our systems work hard to filter out more mature content from the app. But no system is perfect,” explains the blog post. “If you find a video that you think should not be in the app, you can block it and flag it for review. This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone.”