So we've been using YouTube Kids for our 5 and 7 year old but I feel like it's pretty limited on content. I know regular YouTube has parental controls but does anyone feel comfortable actually using those? How much can you really restrict it before they find a way around it anyway?
YouTube Kids is definitely limited but that's kind of the point. Regular YouTube is a rabbit hole waiting to happen with a 5 and 7 year old. We use Kids but I supplement with actual shows on streaming services.
YouTube Kids can feel pretty limited, yeah. We switched to regular YouTube with parental controls turned up and spot check what my daughter's actually watching. She's 7 and seems to handle it fine as long as I'm paying attention.
I work in tech so I've probably overthought this more than most dads, but honestly YouTube's built-in parental controls work pretty well if you actually set them up. The limited content on Kids mode drove us nuts too.
The limited content in YouTube Kids actually drove me crazy too. I ended up making a playlist of approved channels and just having them pick from that list. Feels like the middle ground between two extremes.
Honestly at 5 and 7 I'd lean toward YouTube Kids still. The algorithm on regular YouTube can get weird fast and I'm not trying to explain random stuff to my kids.
We switched from YouTube Kids to regular YouTube with parental controls set pretty strict and honestly it's way better. My 7 year old gets better content recommendations and I feel like I have more control over what slips through.
YouTube Kids is limited but at least the algorithm doesn't try to get them addicted to the worst stuff. Regular YouTube has some solid educational channels if you curate a watch list for them though.
The algorithm on regular YouTube will have them watching weird stuff within minutes. YouTube Kids isn't perfect but it's way safer for that age group. I'd stick with it for now.
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We struggled with this too. YouTube Kids worked fine until they started asking for stuff not on there. Our compromise is curated playlists on regular YouTube that I pre-approve. Takes work but beats scrolling forever.