How to keep your kids safe on YouTube

Making sure our kids are safe online should be our top priority. When it comes to YouTube, you are a quick search away from pretty much anything you can think of (within reason). The introduction of YouTube Shorts are also a cause for concern.

Here are some of my top tips for keeping your kids safe on YouTube. I've tried to keep these tips fair and not too restrictive, as after all, your child still needs to have some fun.

Turn off auto-play

By default after one video finishes you have about 3 - 7 seconds before YouTube will automatically play a related video. Which in my experience just leads to uninterrupted viewing. If you turn this feature off, I've found that my daughter might sometimes get distracted and ask me to play something else with her instead. That pause in viewing is all it takes to get her thinking about something else.

You might think that this kinda defeats the purpose of getting some time to yourself. I'd like to stress that she sometimes stops watching and asks me to play, not all of the time. Another reason I think this is a good tip is that it makes it easier to get them to stop watching. If your kid is glued to the TV, trying to get the to do something else isn't always an easy task!

Set a time limit and stick to it

This one is easy to do, just pick a time limit you want your kids to watch the TV for. It could 30 minutes or an hour - It's up to you. Implementing it however might not be so easy.

I've found that for my daughter 30 minutes is a good amount of time. With most videos being in the 10 - 15 minute range, this is 2 - 3 videos. Yes, she exceeds the 30 minutes, but luckily enough for us, she can't tell the time just yet 😄. She even refers to it as her "30 minutes". When the time is up we let her know and most of the time she goes without a fight.

Setting a time limit is important as it lets your child know that they can't watch the TV forever. You can mention that you're going to do something different with them such as going outside or doing an indoor activity that doesn't involve the TV. Having a good balance between screen time and other aspects of life should help to re-enforce that there's more to life than just watching TV.

Don't watch YouTube Shorts

YouTube shorts are very similar to TikTok, short form videos that can last up to 60 seconds. It's much more difficult to control what you child sees with Shorts. My biggest problem with shorts is that it's incredibly easy to get lost in them. I also feel that they don't do my own attention span any good. Quick little hits of dopamine and I'm constantly swiping to see a new video. Not good for me, not good for my child.

Turn off your watch history

This one is a bit more extreme and definitely an annoyance, especially if you use YouTube a lot yourself. When you turn off your watch history, you don't get any personalised videos in your feed. It's subscriptions only. This is useful if you only want a very tailored experience for your child. They only get to see what they've subscribed to, so there's less chance of them watching something you don't approve of.

It's also the only reliable way to turn off YouTube Shorts. When you turn off your watch history, you no longer get any shorts recommended to you. You have to use the search feature to look for them instead. I feel like this one is really impactful as the beauty of Shorts is that you get them recommended to you and you swipe until you find one you like. Having to type and search for them takes a lot of the fun out of that.

There is a very obvious downfall to this, you don't get to see what your kid has been watching. It works for me as I often sit with my daughter or keep checking in on what she's got on. Your mileage may vary.

Be present when your child watches YouTube

This one can be a double edged sword. The pros are that you get to see exactly what your child is watching and you can make your own decisions as to what's appropriate or not. The downside is that you perhaps don't get that time to do your own things such as household chores or some work etc. As parents the last thing you want to do is sit down and watch someone who is incredibly annoying, that's why as part of my reviews, I include how annoying I think a Youtuber might be. If you can watch along with your kids - great, if not you know my reviews will give you some guidance as to which ones you can comfortably "sit out".

Consider using the YouTube Kids app

The YouTube Kids app is like an watered down, child orientated version of Youtube. I'd say its good for younger kids, say between 3 - 5 as the content is very safe and there's no search functionality, so your only choice on what to watch is what YouTube gives you. You won't find any of the most popular Youtubers your child usually watches on here. I'd go as far as saying the content is aimed at early learning. Colours, shapes, numbers etc. You can change the age range which changes the content your child sees. However I feel like this version of YouTube is a bit too restrictive. It's worth a try though, you might find you really works for you and your kids.