For parents, the dilemma of whether or not to set up their children’s Google Account as a child account and bear the consequences is real. Google is finally recognizing that one of the biggest drawbacks to that experience has to do with YouTube Kids. The company just announced that it will soon begin testing “ supervised experiences, ” which will allow parents to give their tweens and teens access to YouTube in a controlled manner.
Which ‘supervised experiences’ on YouTube offer
Google says they will feel more like YouTube than YouTube Kids. Parents can choose from three different content settings: Discover, discover more, and Most of YouTube
Explore will feature a wider variety of videos suitable for viewers over nine, including vlogs, music videos, educational content and more. The second setting, Discover more, will feature a wider range of such videos that are generally suitable for viewers aged 13 and over. And last but not least, Most of YouTube, contains almost all videos except age-restricted content (18+ years), including sensitive topics.
Google says it will use a combination of user input, machine learning, and human assessment to determine which videos to include in each content setting.
It’s important to note that the experience is limited and feature availability varies depending on each content setting. For example, live streams are turned off in the Explore setting and features like comments, live chat, all creation options (channel, posts, stories, short movies, etc.), and channel memberships are not available.
In addition to content settings, parents can access watch and search history and can also set screen timers through Google’s Family Link.
How to set up ‘supervised experiences’ on YouTube
Unfortunately, you still have to wait to try the new experience as it will only be available in the “early beta” for the next few months. The beta version is only available to families with children under the age of 13, in most countries under the age of 13 (exceptions). Parents with teenagers will have to wait a little longer.
If your child already has a supervised Google account, you don’t need to follow any additional steps to access this experience. You will likely be notified by email if you are selected to be part of the early beta.
What about YouTube Kids? Is it going away?
No, YouTube Kids is not going away and Google still recommends the standalone app for younger kids which offers a simpler experience but a smaller collection of videos. There is also a promise to add more features to the app, one of which is the much-requested option for parents to allow access to specific videos and channels.
If you don’t know between ‘supervised experiences’ and YouTube Kids, check out Google’s handy comparison chart.
What about YouTube Music for kids?
The demise of Google Play Music has not gone well with the users; they don’t think YouTube Music is a worthy alternative. While there are many differences to discuss, the only pertinent one in this context is that YouTube Music – unlike GPM – is not available to children under 13. This left some families with no choice but to switch to alternatives such as Spotify.
While YouTube Music is not supported in the beta launch, we are working to make this possible in the future.
– TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) February 24, 2021
Fortunately, it appears YouTube is working to fix this. As mentioned in the tweet above, YouTube Music for kids should arrive when “ supervised experiences ” will leave beta, but that’s exactly when everyone suspects it.
