Google announced through an email to Family Link subscribers that children will soon access YouTube Music and other parts of the video streaming site.
Google to Allow Kids to View YouTube Music
Before December 2020, Google Play Music allowed children under 13 years old to have their personal libraries.
YouTube Music is only now getting the same capability as part of the ability to let supervised accounts switch from YouTube Kids to the main YouTube sites, according to Android Police.
The supervised YouTube experience aimed at older children and teens was first previewed in February 2021, but the feature is now more widely available.
Children will be able to access YouTube Music for iOS, Android, and the web in the next couple of weeks. These supervised accounts will also be able to access YouTube on their smart TVs.
Also Read: YouTube Kids: 5 Channels Worth Checking Out
Google stated that the videos and music available to a child's account on YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube Kids are determined by the parent's choice of content setting.
Parents can select between three tiers: Explore, Explore More, and Most of YouTube.
The Explore tier allows children who are ready to move on from YouTube Kids to regular YouTube, and it allows them to explore content on the site.
This setting will feature a broad range of videos generally suitable for nine years old and above viewers, including tutorials, music clips, gaming videos, news, educational content, and more.
The Explore More tier has content that is suited for children who are 13 years old and above. This setting will include a larger set of videos and live streams in the same categories as the Explore tier.
Lastly, Most of YouTube is a setting that will contain almost all of the videos you can find on YouTube except for age-restricted ones, and it includes sensitive topics that older teens can view.
This addresses an issue around music listening with Google's Family Link system. Some users had to subscribe their children to alternate streaming services even though they had YouTube Premium family plans.
The change took time for YouTube to accomplish, and it was the result of feedback from families who use their products.
Growth of YouTube Music
In September 2021, Google stated that YouTube Music had hit 50 million subscribers, and they did it faster than they expected.
A new market analysis report posted by 9to5Mac notes that YouTube Music grew 50% in a 12 month period with high interest from the younger generation, also called Gen Z.
According to Midia Research, YouTube grew more than 50% from Q2 2020 to 2021. Google was the only streaming service to increase its global market share during the said 12-month period.
Of the 523.9 million music subscribers or 26.4%, at the end of Q2 2021, around 8% of them use YouTube Music. The highest share belongs to Spotify with 31%, though that number has been decreasing from 34% in Q2 2019.
Apple Music took second place at 15%, and Amazon and Tencent both got 13%.
YouTube's latest update on YouTube Music comes after the platform announced that it would cut back on its other services, such as YouTube Originals.
In 2016, YouTube made YouTube Kids ad-free as part of its Red Subscription.
Related Article: YouTube Videos That Feature Children Get Thrice As Many Views As Any Other Content, Study Reveals
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Written by Sophie Webster
