I published an article about the Youtube Kids App, “YouTube Kids Now Has Parental Controls,” back in September 2018. I began the article saying, “You might have given YouTube Kids app a chance in the past…it is time to give this app another look.”
We have given Youtube Kids app another look and this is what we found. In this video spotted by Dr. Free N. Hess, a pediatrician, a Minecraft character drops an “f-bomb” and in this video, another Minecraft character swears and shoots another character. These are just two examples of what your child might discover using this app. Youtube Kids is advertised as a safe place for children to watch videos, this is clearly not the case. I am disappointed but not surprised by Google’s lack of attention to the safety of children on their platform.
I am updating my previous recommendation. Based on testing by child safety advocates, Youtube Kids is not safe for your child.
Other recommendations
- Go to a free parent seminar hosted at a nearby school. This seminar will change the way you look at your child’s digital world and give you a step-by-step game plan to make your child safe. If you would like to host a parent seminar at your school, fill out the contact form to learn more.
- Purchase the book, “Parenting in the Digital World”. It will take you step-by-step through the process of making your child safer online.
- Stay on top of the latest online trends by subscribing to our free e-newsletter.
- Install Bark on your child’s phone. Bark will passively monitor your child’s social media and let you know if there is a problem. Use the promo code, “cybersafetycop” to get 15% off.
