How do you make YouTube safer for kids?

Pick YouTube Kids or a supervised YouTube account, choose the strictest content setting that suits your child, turn off search and autoplay, set a time limit, and lock the device to one app.

Should you use YouTube Kids or a supervised YouTube account?

Google offers both. YouTube Kids is a separate app with its own, smaller selection of videos and content levels for different ages. A supervised kid account is for children under 13 on regular YouTube: a parent picks a content setting that limits what the child can find and play, and features like comments, uploads and live chat are turned off. Teens aged 13 to 17 can use a supervised teen account, which both parent and teen agree to link.

Which YouTube Kids settings should you change?

  • Approve content yourself: hand-pick the videos, channels and collections your child can watch. This also turns search off.
  • Or pick a content level: Preschool, Younger or Older.
  • Turn off search: your child is limited to videos and channels verified by YouTube Kids.
  • Turn on “Disable autoplay” so your child can’t turn autoplay back on.
  • Pause watch history so new views stop shaping recommendations.
  • Set a timer to limit time in the app.

Which settings matter on a supervised YouTube account?

You manage these in Family Center on YouTube or in the Family Link app:

  • Choose the content setting that suits your child.
  • Block specific channels you don’t want them to watch.
  • Turn on “Disable autoplay”.
  • Set a daily limit on the Shorts feed.
  • Pause or clear watch and search history.

How do you stop a child leaving the app?

Lock the tablet or phone to a single app. It takes about a minute.

Guided Access (iPhone & iPad)

  1. Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access → turn it on.
  2. Tap Passcode Settings → Set Guided Access Passcode, and pick a code the kids don't know.
  3. Open WonderWatch, then triple-click the side button (or home button) → Start.
  4. To finish: triple-click again and enter the passcode.

App pinning (Android)

  1. Settings → Security & privacy → More security settings → App pinning → turn it on.
  2. Turn on “Ask for PIN before unpinning”.
  3. Open WonderWatch, open the recent-apps switcher, tap its icon → Pin.

Why isn’t any filter enough on its own?

Google is candid about this: no algorithm is perfect, and even with search off there’s still a chance your child finds something you’d rather they didn’t. Settings lower the odds; checking in on what your child watches still matters.

Is there an alternative to filtering?

Start from a short list instead of the whole of YouTube. WonderWatch shows only creators you’ve approved, rates every video like a film before any family sees it, and budgets how often your child can switch videos. See how it compares with YouTube Kids.

Sources (Google help pages, checked October 2026)

What else do parents ask?

Does turning off search make YouTube Kids completely safe?
No. Google says that even with search off there's still a chance your child will find content you don't want them to watch.
What does “Approve content yourself” do in YouTube Kids?
Your child can only watch the videos, channels and collections you've hand-picked, and can't search.
Can I block a channel on YouTube?
Yes, on a supervised kid account: sign in with your linked parent account to block specific channels.
Should I block youtube.com in Screen Time if my child uses WonderWatch?
No. WonderWatch loads YouTube's player from youtube.com, so blocking it stops WonderWatch working too. Lock the device to WonderWatch instead.

Who makes WonderWatch?

WonderWatch is built by Paul Firmin, a parent of two in Aurora, Ontario, at Firmin Labs, a one-person studio making small, useful tools for families.

YouTube and YouTube Kids are trademarks of Google LLC. WonderWatch is not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube or Google.