Kids Videos & Songs kiddZtube
Kids Videos & Songs kiddZtube
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Kids Videos & Songs kiddZtube is a subscription-based, curated selection of videos in the categories of songs, learning, cartoons, and stories. Some videos are paired with interactive quiz questions for semi-interactive viewing. The developer claims that each video is viewed and selected by teachers, though that doesn't seem to guarantee quality content. Kids Videos & Songs kiddZtube is set up for kids of a wide age range (parents can choose a birth year as early as 2007 when they set up the user profile), but most content won't appeal to kids older than preschool age. Some icons in the quiz sections aren't labeled at all, so it could be tricky for kids to figure out what they represent. The parent area (blocked by a simple addition equation parent gate) has controls for the maximum use time per day and the categories of video available. There's also an area that shows what type of videos kids are watching, how many minutes they watch per day on average, and how they've done on the quizzes so far. There's a small collection of Spanish-language videos. Read the developer's privacy policy for details on how your (or your kids') information is collected, used, and shared and any choices you may have in the matter, and note that privacy policies and terms of service frequently change.
Community Reviews
Awesome! Makes video watching safe and interactive
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What’s It About?
KIDS VIDEOS & SONGS KIDDZTUBE is a curated selection of original video content and selections from YouTube. Parents create a profile for their kids with a nickname and a birth date, as well as the parent's email address. Parents can create a "favorites" list of curated content, and select what type of videos kids can access and how much time kids can watch each day. Once that's complete, kids have free access to videos in the content areas their parents have selected. There's no way for kids to search or browse; they can touch the "heart" to like a video and save it to their favorites, and they can skip to the next video, but those are the only choices. The videos may have some familiar content, such as Winnie the Pooh, but most are less well-known and downright obscure options. Parents can see what types of videos their kids have been watching as well as how kids have done on the quizzes.
Is It Any Good?
The idea of creating a safe space for young kids to view video content is great and has lots of potential, but this collection doesn't always deliver on content quality. Many videos are original Kids Videos & Songs kiddZtube content that unfortunately just aren't all that impressive. Some content is downright odd, such as one video that tells the story of Irma the inflatable mattress who suffers at the hands of a boisterous young house guest. After calling the child a "terrible kid," she partially deflates when he isn't looking, injuring him to teach him a lesson. Given that, the selection is quite large, though the main menu will easily feel overwhelming for little kids. And, especially with the autoplay that automatically loads video after video, kids can easily get sucked in to watching one mediocre-quality video after another. Parents do have some control, though. They can select a library of content for kids to access in the favorites section, and set daily viewing limits. The idea of incorporating a short quiz after the videos -- as the developer says the app does -- is also great, but the quizzes don't seem to actually be paired with any videos. Instead, quizzes are on their own in a separate menu. The quizzes also are either too easy for most kids in the target range, too complex for little ones, or just don't make any sense at all. In one, kids are asked "Where is the chair?" and are expected to use an arrow to point in the direction of the chair. Another asks what a character is doing and has kids choose from icons that are not at all clear. Though the developer claims that teachers handpicked all the videos and made the quizzes, it's hard to understand why teachers would create quizzes like this for young kids. But quality aside, it can be helpful to have a collection of filtered content without including any overt advertising in the mix. There's a lot of room for growth here, but it may still fit the bill for parents who don't want to shell out big bucks for a subscription service but still want their kids to have a reasonably safe video-viewing experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about using educational apps like Kids Videos & Songs kiddZtube. Is this app good for learning? Why or why not? What do you think you can learn?
How do you like this app compared with other apps you could use? If you had to choose the best use of your time on a screen, would you pick this app over other apps on your device? Why, or why not?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading: letter or word recognition, storytelling, Math: numbers
- Skills: Emotional Development: empathy, identifying emotions, labeling feelings
- Pricing structure: Free to try (Subscription costs $4.99/month; 1 week free trial available.)
- Release date: March 17, 2021
- Category: Education
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Book Characters, Music and Sing-Along, Numbers and Letters
- Publisher: Magikbee
- Version: 3.1.20
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.0 and up; Android 5.0 and up
- Last updated: March 18, 2021
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