Now, children are finally able to watch videos on YouTube ad-free — that is, if their parents are willing to pay for it.
Allowing YouTube to be even more kid-friendly, the company announced on Wednesday that YouTube Kids is now being integrated with the YouTube Red subscription service.
Launched last year, YouTube Kids is the child-safe version of the popular video platform that was supposed to allow parents to pass their mobile devices along to their tots without having to worry about them being exposed to inappropriate content.
The problem is that ads are still displayed, making it hard for parents to be sure that their children aren't seeing questionable content — even if the kinds of content we are talking about are things like ads for junk food.
YouTube is now solving this problem (sort of) by merging the YouTube Kids app into its subscription-based video service YouTube Red.
Now, the Google-owned company is giving parents the option to pay to have ads removed for the $10 per month it costs for a YouTube Red subscription. On the plus side, this means that all ads will be removed, regardless of whether the viewer is a child or an adult.
Launched in October, the paid membership to the service normally brings with it other perks, like the ability to watch videos offline, background play and a free subscription to Google Play Music (Google Play Music subscribers also get a free subscription to YouTube Red, so many people may already have the ability to create an account without knowing it).
With the YouTube Kids app integration, families can now enjoy videos without paid ads, as well as stream videos when there is no internet connection, and play kids' music while they play a mobile game or the parent checks their email.
Once a parent signs up for a YouTube Red membership or checks it out with a 30-day free trial, they can then launch the YouTube Kids app and enter in their YouTube Red account information from the parental controls to access the new features.
YouTube has plans to continue to add more ways parents can customize content in YouTube Kids in the near future.
YouTube Kids launched in February 2015 and reportedly has over 10 billion views. Now, parents can choose to have their children watch videos on the app ad-free.
The YouTube Kids app is now available with a Red subscription in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
Source: YouTube
