In a bid to help parents exercise control over online content and help push an age-appropriate users experience, video streaming service YouTube is set to launch a kid-friendly variant soon.
By Monday, Feb. 23, users will be able to download the YouTube Kids Android app.
YouTube Kids is poised to show original episodes of popular TV programs meant for kids, as well as videos from child-friendly channels on the service. YouTube Kids will also allow parents to set a timer via a password so that their youngster does not watch videos beyond the timeframe dictated by the parents. Once the app switches off when the time is up, it cannot be restarted unless one inputs the password.
Moreover, if a kid accidentally or knowingly keys in words like "sex," a screen message that asks the child to "Try something else" will pop up.
The YouTube Kids app has been in the works for several months now and has taken form thanks to inputs from the service's in-house engineers, as well as testers from Common Sense Media.
"Parents were constantly asking us, can you make YouTube a better place for our kids? [Year over year] we've seen 50 percent growth in viewing time on YouTube, but for our family entertainment channels, it's more like 200 percent," shared Shimrit Ben-Yair, the project's group product.
Initially, the YouTube Kids app will only be available in the U.S. and for Android users. The kid-friendly YouTube app will also be distinctly different from the regular YouTube app. It will have a child-friendly design with big icons to help tiny fingers tap them with ease. There will be negligible scrolling involved and, since little users cannot type, kids will be able to do voice search.
The app's home screen will have big tiles that feature images from kid-friendly TV shows. The children will also have access to four basic icons for music, shows, learning and exploring, which will allow them to sift through popular videos. The approved content includes programs such as Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine, LeVar Burton's Reading Rainbow, Yo Gabba Gabba! and more.
The YouTube Kids app will be released at the Kidscreen Summit by YouTube's executive Malik Ducard on Feb. 23. How YouTube intends to generate revenue from the app is not known at this juncture.
