YouTube Finally Promises Some Relief for Parents

Thanks to the tireless effort of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), YouTube is promising more video content filtering options for kids under age 18 who are also using Family Link.

We broke this news on Instagram on February 24 after YouTube posted the change in their blog.

There are now three new content filtering options for kids under age 18 (according to their Gmail birthday):

1. Explore: For children ready to move on from YouTube Kids and explore content on YouTube, this setting will feature a broad range of videos generally suitable for viewers ages 9+, including vlogs, tutorials, gaming videos, music clips, news, educational content and more.

2. Explore More: With content generally suitable for viewers ages 13+, this setting will include an even larger set of videos, and also live streams in the same categories as “Explore.”

3. Most of YouTube: This setting will contain almost all videos on YouTube, except for age-restricted content (“Restricted Mode”), and it includes sensitive topics that may only be appropriate for older teens.

And, this little tidbit toward the end of the blog post caught our attention, if it delivers:

“In addition to choosing the content setting, parents will be able to manage watch and search history from within their child’s account settings.”

YouTube Parental Controls are Too Little, Too Late

We’ll keep you updated as we learn more! We’re fairly certain that these changes are one way that Google is trying to avoid legislative action, like the EARN IT Act.

While we appreciate their efforts, it’s ridiculous that it took this long and that everything is reactive when it comes to protecting children. The regulatory hammer is still coming.

Interested in “reining in YouTube” as much as possible for your family? 

• The most important digital device in any home IS THE ROUTER! Control YouTube with Gryphon router. It’s our favorite!
• If you want a service that both parents and kids can use, then try Covenant Eyes, which can force YouTube Restricted Mode (plus Gryphon).
• If you just want to monitor younger kids, then BARK is a service we highly recommend (plus Gryphon). On smartphones and computers (via Bark Home), it can monitor YouTube videos your child posts, comments on their videos, and new videos from your child’s channel subscriptions.

*There may be affiliate links throughout this post because we’ve tested and trust a small list of parental control solutions. Our work saves you time! If you decide that you agree with us, then we may earn a small commission, which does nothing to your price. Enjoy!