Search by Age and Topic
By topic
Our bloggers
Follow Common Sense
Parenting dilemmas, solved.
Get timely parenting advice delivered straight to your inbox weekly.
Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube
How to enjoy YouTube with your kids without feeling overwhelmed and confused.
10/31/2019
Topics: Screen Time, YouTube
You may never have heard of half the folks your kids watch on YouTube. But YouTubers are super influential on kids, garnering millions (and, in the case of disgraced Swedish gamer PewDiePie, billions) of views. And unfortunately, information about YouTube channels -- the content, quality, and age-appropriateness, for example -- isn't easy for parents to find.
It would be great to be able to just download YouTube Kids and have your kids watch something hopefully more age-appropriate than regular YouTube. However, YouTube Kids has problems of its own. And the bottom line is: kids want to watch the original. But it's tough to manage. Anyone can create YouTube channels, they crop up seemingly out of nowhere, they don't follow program schedules, and they're cast out among thousands of other videos. Data privacy is another major problem with YouTube. In September 2019, it was fined $170 million for violating the Children's Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and ordered to change the way it tracks users.
So if your kids really love it, you'll have to strategize. Reading Common Sense Media reviews of YouTube channels is a good way to get a sense of their age-appropriateness and quality. And digging into the videos themselves -- watching with your kids or on your own -- is wise. You never know what's going to come up on a particular channel, since all the content is user-generated.Â
Here are parents' most commonly asked questions about YouTube and kids. Also, read our detailed review of YouTube.
What's the best way to keep tabs on my kids' YouTube-watching?
How can I find out what my kid has been watching on YouTube?
How can I minimize my kids' exposure to iffy videos on YouTube?
How can I find out who's behind the videos my kid watches on YouTube?
How can I manage the related videos on YouTube?
Can I get rid of ads on YouTube?
What should I say to my kid about all the mean comments people leave on YouTube?
Are there any parental controls on YouTube?
How can I find good stuff on YouTube?Â
What's the best way to keep tabs on my kids' YouTube-watching?
Simply ask your kids what they're watching and join them. In general, kids are tuning into certain channels or following specific YouTube personalities because they're entertained by them (not because they are actively searching for "bad" stuff). Many kids naturally want to share the videos they like. But be prepared to watch some weird stuff such as unboxing videos. If kids don't want to share, get the name of the channel they're watching and watch it later. Watch a few videos by the same creator to get a feel for the content.
How can I find out what my kid has been watching on YouTube?
If you're concerned about the content your kid is watching on YouTube -- and you've tried talking to them -- you can check their Watch History. If your kid has a YouTube account (which only requires a Gmail address), their YouTube page will display recently watched videos, recommended videos based on Watch History, and suggestions for channels similar to the ones they've watched. Even if your kid deletes their Watch History, the recommendations all will be related to stuff they've watched.
How can I minimize my kids' exposure to iffy videos on YouTube?
Encourage your kids to subscribe to their favorite channels rather than hunting around on YouTube for the latest ones from a specific creator. Subscribers are notified when a new video is uploaded, plus all their channels are displayed in the Subscriptions section, making it easier, and faster, to go directly to the stuff they like. Consider choosing subscriptions together, and make an event out of watching the newest uploads with your kids.
How can I find out who's behind the videos my kid watches on YouTube?
Investigate the creator. The name of each video's creator appears beneath the video window and usually has a bit of information about the person behind the video and/or the channel itself. Google the creator's name to find out whether he or she has a Wikipedia page or another Web presence (most YouTubers use other social media including Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram to promote their brand). You might find out that your kid's favorite YouTube personality has an impressive reach. Check out our recommendations of positive role models on YouTube.Â
How can I manage the related videos on YouTube?
The suggested videos listed on the right-hand side of the page in the Up Next section are related in some way to the main video. But the recommendations are often way off because they're based on an algorithm, not hand-selection. You can curate these a little bit more to your kid's age and interests, though. Click the three dots next to the video title and select "Not Interested." That deleted the video from your feed.  Here are some additional tips to make YouTube's related videos a little safer.Â
Can I get rid of ads on YouTube?
There are tons of ads on YouTube. Even if your kids stick to kid videos, they'll see commercials for stuff that may not be appropriate. You can try to reduce or manage exposure to advertising, but the best option is to talk to your kids about viewing all marketing critically so they don't get sucked in. Alternatively, you can consider subscribing to YouTube Premium, which doesn't show ads and which also has exclusive content.
What should I say to my kid about all the mean comments people leave on YouTube?
YouTube comments are notorious for being negative, but it's worth reading them to get a sense of the channels' demographic and the tone of the discussion. It can be possible to find hate speech or child predators lurking in the comments of videos featuring or targeted to kids and teens. Channel creators have the ability to moderate their comments to reduce the amount of negativity. A well-groomed comments section may indicate a more responsible creator. YouTube videos designated for kids by their creator don't allow comments. If you see comments on a video, that means it's not for kids under 13.
Are there any parental controls on YouTube?
YouTube is technically only for teens 13 and up, and what the site considers age-appropriate may not match your values. But YouTube offers a filter called Restricted Mode that limits the iffy stuff. Go to your account settings page and toggle on Restricted Mode at the bottom of the page. (It will remain on for logged-in users on the same browser.) The YouTube app also offers some settings that remind you to take a break and restrict your time, although these features are more a part of Google's efforts to promote "digital well-being" than parental controls. If you want more control over what your kids can watch on YouTube, consider downloading the YouTube Kids app, which offers some features including screen-time limits and restricted search, to keep young kids a little safer on the platform.
How can I find good stuff on YouTube?Â
Most kids find out about new videos either from their friends or by clicking on the related videos (which may or may not be appropriate). Check out our YouTube reviews and curated lists of decent YouTube shows for kids, such as Funny YouTube Channels, Positive Role Models on YouTube and Best YouTube Channels and Videos for Preschool Kids.
Â
Related Advice & Top Picks
About Caroline Knorr
Comments (103)
Kid, 11 years old
For preteens whose parents do not permit cursing in their house, I'd recommend Azzyland, LaurenZSide, Yammy, and Bijuu Mike. For preteens that are allowed to curse, I'd recommend Gloom, Kubz Scouts, and the above
Teen, 13 years old written by B3NDYdeath
The following message is for all kids and/or tweens that hate Restricted mode: if you can find a way to reset your computer or your mom and dads computer, that resets YouTube too!
Kid, 11 years old
I think if you want a web series to watch, you should watch Battle for BFDI. Any swear words are replaced by a different word (i.e fluff, fulcrum, and flip) and there is a tad bit of violence (mostly objects "dying" which means popping, getting extinguished, the characters are objects with faces and limbs) , but there's no blood. I'm 11 and my brother is 6 and we both love this show. Four might also scare very young kids, also, but I highly doubt that :)
written by AlienatorFan
I would like for YouTube to set all Age numbers in all videos like for example, if it has Grand Theft Auto videos, it's definitely not for kids. Here again you'll probably wanna set Age numbers on all YouTube videos like 20+, 19+, 18+, 17+, 16+, 15+, 14+, 13+, 12+, 11+, 10+, 9+, 8+, etc. Also, I would be a good idea to set descriptions like what content does it contain like Explicit/Strong Language, Mild Language, Nudity, Violence, Sexual Content, Violence, Cartoon Violence, Fantasy Violence and all that in all YouTube videos just to be safe.
Teen, 15 years old written by Jonathan King F...
Agreed. This needs to happen,but ONLY if the people vote on it.
Teen, 13 years old written by B3NDYdeath
Count me in! Least id' make more sense than COPPA.
Kid, 12 years old
Here are some good youtubers. For young kids try: StampyLongHead, TheOdd1sOut, Nintendrew, and The cute Mario Bros. For kids that are getting older and/or tweens try: Peanut Butter Gamer, Nathaniel Bandy, ConnerTheWaffle, and DanTDM. For teens and adults: Plainrock124 and his vloging channel (NOT IF YOU ARE SEGA FAN THOUGHT OH MY GOD.), Scott the woz, Charri5, Hobo Bros, Infinite, and youtubepoopers(Because oh my god, some of them can get... well...just not for kids. i'll put it like that.)
Teen, 13 years old written by B3NDYdeath
Oh, yeah! Plainrock124 is awesome!
Teen, 15 years old written by Quartzer
Another way to keep away from innapropriate content is to turn on Restricted mode which turns off the community tab (but you can see community post on the home screen.) and comments (you can look at a few comments by going to comment history and clicking on comment/reply though you can only see a few and no reply besides the highlighted reply. Also video will be minimized as it like a in between of YT Kids and YT though there is still inappropriate content it is minimized
Kid, 12 years old
95% of content on YouTube is 'safe' for children with that other 5% is mainly in videos that are very obviously inappropriate and most kids would stray away from this kind of content, if you are truly concerned about your child/ren's online safety there are youtube options eg. youtube kids, restricted mode ect. but even without these safety measures youtube is fairly safe for anyone over the age of 8 or so.
When it comes to uploading videos, for saftey but also not having a crindgey 11 year old self on the internet maybe wait until you (or your kid) are at least 16 before trying to upload content.
Teen, 15 years old written by Timmy Ciurczak
Youtube is a fine website,but there's lots of anti Christian stuff,Neo Nazi stuff,and plenty of liberal stuff too. Just watch out for those.
Kid, 12 years old
Heres a parent's guide! Youtube is a place were hundrends of people make videos and put them on the internet. The site manley consits of 20-something year old men playing video games.
Teen, 15 years old written by Margo_V
I am 15 and I really don't like Youtube. Its such a waste of time and can expose kids to some not good things. If you do let them use Youtube, put restrictions on.
Kid, 12 years old
Yeah, but puting restrictions on turns comments off now and that takes away half of the fun.
Teen, 13 years old written by BlaneHale
I recommend for education for older kids, watch CPG Gray and Kurzegat's videos. They are some of the most enlightening and interesting channels I've ever watched.
The topics can get pretty existential and weird though.
Teen, 14 years old written by No_thanks_im_good...
I don’t like it when people bash the entire platform for a couple people who are unbearable. Many people on YouTube have found a system that panders to a younger audience, and hence get more views so YouTube will promote it. These few then become the face of YouTube as a whole and I find it so frustrating. There are many channels on there that are very good and you shouldn’t judge it for the only three channels you ever hear of...
Teen, 13 years old written by Positron
I honestly prefer the videos that teach me more about things I'm interested in than the clickbait PC gaming videos
Kid, 12 years old
YouTube is great! I love that people get to share their gifts with the world, and there are so many different types of people from different backgrounds. There are some very rude people, but most of the people on YouTube are nice. A lot of the videos are really good (for different people, they will like different things) and you can find some really inspiring things like, inspiring videos, people sharing their life stories, and people making videos for entertainment.
Adult written by AshGus
I love youtube so much and since Im now in my teen ages its more about looking at the new fashion sense or looking at makeup tutorials. But yes there are the pros and cons about youtube and some people think wow this is a new genaration thing and others this is a bully yes zone but its not all that. If a parent questions what their kid is watching 1.Check their history 2.if theres nothing but you would rather feel safe knowing they cant watch anything bad then switch to kids youtube. I would say 10-=kids youtube 11+=youtube
Kid, 12 years old
I know some cool channels! LGR, 8 bit guy, Khanubis, WonderWhy, Extra Credits (more specifically their Extra History series), Geography Now, Science Elf, Defunctland, and so many more i can mention.
Kid, 12 years old
Here's a couple more: Translator Fails, Chuggaaconroy, The Runaway Guys, Brutalmoose, PeanutButterGamer, The Angry Video Game Nerd (yeah, you can tell a video game freak.) and Tamago2474.
Teen, 13 years old written by B3NDYdeath
Tamago2474 says ass a lot. But PeanutButterGamer is a YES.
Kid, 12 years old
I also love game theroiy starring matpat!
Kid, 12 years old
I am not a PewDiePie fan, but whats so disgraced about him anyway!? He seems to be booming in popularity now
Teen, 14 years old written by ew 1224
family friendly creators actually make more money and get more views then non-child friendly users
Kid, 12 years old
Of questionable quality
Adult written by Ytb1
I've been appalled at some of the things I have seen on YouTube lately. I used to love it but I'm really questioning it now. Today I found videos of women "breastfeeding" children that we're far to old to be breastfeeding and all the comments were of sexual nature. Under the recommended videos were many more of women breastfeeding older children in unatural positions, in slow motion or with sexual music. It is truly discusting these poor kids are being exploited like this and YouTube let's them hide behind a breastfeeding tag.
Adult written by mweinraub87
This was awesome, Caroline. I just created a family Google account which will, right out of the gate, allow safer and easier Youtube viewing. Onward!
Adult written by UnicornMama
Parents must monitor what their kids watch on youtube. I am a mother of an 8-year-old who loves to watch gaming videos. I have allowed her to watch a few gaming channels that are 100% kid friendly (no bad language at all and hosted by kids only!) such as AizasGamingWorld, EthanGamer etc. In my opinion, you can protect your kids from bad content if you watch a few videos on a channel, it will give you an idea about the nature of content on that channel.
Kid, 12 years old
Don’t tell me you’re gonna make your kids sheltered, and besides adults can be friendly as well.
Kid, 12 years old
Yeah! Like StampyLongNose!
Teen, 17 years old written by Skky K.
The kid is 8 years old. Of course, she doesn't want them to watch videos from YouTubers that might have adult jokes in their videos even if they don't swear.
Kid, 11 years old
i get it, but mabe she should start opening up her up to swear words. love your user name, buy the way.
Adult written by GABRIEL P.
What about Mr.Fruit? He Is THE BEST Youtuber I've Ever Seen! In One Video, He Talks About How He Deals With Depression Because When He Was A Kid, He Had To Move A Lot. In That Episode Too, He Also Taught Me About Finding Your Place In The World And How To Deal With Depression, AND He Also Started A Charity Fund That Only Goes To The Kids In Need, None Of The Money Would Go To Him, All Of It Went To The Kids In Need. Mr.Fruit Is A Funny, Fun-Loving Guy Who Plays Video Games With His Friends, And I Can Tell You: He And His Friends Are Gonna Have A BLAST! And So Will You!
Kid, 11 years old
how bout stampy cat? i love that british kitty.
Kid, 10 years old
I would recommend YouTube for kids ages 10 and up, But Kids ages 10-12 should have safety mode and and should be supervised. I would recommend that kids under ages 10 should Have YouTube Kids and be supervised constantly. Also make sure your kids subscribe and turn on notifications for their favorite channels, then they will get notified when a new video comes out and will hopefully stay on that channel, and make sure your kids ask and have you review new channels they want to watch. Make sure you kids know not to share private information in the comments and to only post nice comments.
Adult written by overprotectivep...
YouTube kids sucks, so no
Kid, 11 years old
Youtube Kids is also dangerous. I heard that there is inappropriate stuff on there. The channels disguise inappropriate content as characters that young children know from their favorite TV shows and movies. PBS has more quality content that is educational.
Kid, 12 years old
yes. pbs does!
Kid, 12 years old
PBS used to be pretty good, but now it kinda sucks.
Parent written by M S
PewDiePie is a neo-Nxzi. Completely inappropriate that he would even be mentioned on this great website.
Please do not recommend him to anyone.
I recommend you remove references to him from this page, except to warn parents that PewDiePie is a neo-Nxzi.
August 7, 2016: PewDiePie, wearing a Make America Great Again hat, begins his video with a swastika and other Nazi imagery, and uses a photo of Hitler as a segue between clips
September 24, 2016: In a video criticising YouTube policy, he shows a clip of Hitler giving a speech
October 15, 2016: PewDiePie posts swastikas drawn by his fans December 8, 2016: PewDiePie wears a brown military uniform while watching a Hitler clip at the end of his video
January 11, 2017: He hires two Sri Lankan actors on Fiverr to do a dance and hold up a sign that says ‘Death to all Jxws’
January 14, 2017: PewDiePie plays the Nazi Party anthem before bowing to a swastika in a mock resurrection ritual
January 17, 2017: He posts a video saying ‘there’s a difference between a joke and actual, like, death to all Jxws. If I made a video saying…’ at which point the camera cuts to a close-up of his face illuminated brightly – ‘Hey guys, PewDiePie here. Death to all Jxws, I want you to say after me: Death to all Jxws. And, you know, Hitler was right. I really opened my eyes to white power. And I think it is time we did something about this.’
January 22, 2017: PewDiePie hires a Jesus Christ impersonator over Fiverr to say: ‘Hitler did absolutely nothing wrong.’
February 5, 2016: At the start of the video he includes a brief Nxzi salute, with a Hitler voice-over saying ‘Sieg Heil’ and text saying ‘Nxzi Confirmed’.
Kid, 12 years old
Idiot
Kid, 12 years old
WOAH M S! CHILL OUT!
Teen, 15 years old written by FatherREVILO
you are an ignorant narcissist
Teen, 14 years old written by Petri
This was a joke. One of his close friends, Ethan Klein, is jewish.
Adult written by a a
But can you do this?
Kid, 11 years old
YouTube is 90% safe! People do hate on your videos and dislike bots do exist, but if your kid blocks them from commenting they will be more safe. Haters do exist and if your kid wants to become famous they will have to learn that they will experience hate at some point.
Teen, 13 years old written by B3NDYdeath
90% safe!? *Wispering dude you need tween lessons!
Parent written by Oso R.
There is A LOT of dangerous and influential youtube content being produced by personalities who negatively impact kids and young teens. I wish there was a more critical look at this aspect on Common Sense Media ~ more warnings about those channels that should be blocked or avoided by young eyes. Personally, I can't stand how youtube is allowed to freely operate sharing content inappropriate for children while the celebrities monetize and take advantage of children by getting cliicks for funny videos that are actually veiled agendas. We finally had to block Youtube entirely because our child was becomming so negatively impacted, addicted to watching the videos and becoming so influenced that she was becomming a depressed and anxious person. It took us a while to figure out, but she was watching inappropriate videos curated by Miles McKenna (the miles chronicles) as well as other teen transgender content. Some of these people are so narcissistic and share mis-information. Maybe its just me, but I don't feel that children should be able to freely watch sex transitions on youtube. It's more than a developing child can process - especially those on the austic spectrum or with ADHD. It can be very damaging and you can't undo the influence. I know a lot of parents don't have time to monitor their kids online consumption - and youtube is so hard to monitor, block or control. But it really is a dangerous, wide open platform. We learned the hard way that there are predators lingering in the comments section of youtube videos and very easy for kids to interract with strangers. You will see a lot of positive reviews for youtube - but they are mostly written by children. Any responsible adult will agree that youtube is a dangerous platform for kids, with zero security.
Parent written by Maggiemae
Thank you for your great information!!!
So helpful!!
Adult written by Nuala D.
My almost 12 year old son shared some inappropriate sexualized stuff today with an 8 year old girl, I don't know what to say to him or how to handle it in an appropriate way any suggestions welcome
Adult written by YouNonocommonsense
Comon lets all stop pretending lets wake up shall we , lets all have a little common sense not so common anymore . It should be your duty to keep your child away from YouTube . YouTube has affected and will continue affecting how others interact and view one another in the world i believe in a negative way and i believe youTube cannot be properly monitored and regulated. In the real world computer devices are easily accessible and used as a digital baby sitter whilst the mother is busy with whatever she is doing. People also talk about monitoring and supervised watching yes great in the ideal world but this is only promoting them sitting in front of a screen until they want more and more but what age do you start letting them watch it on there own?. You cant monitor it it's impossible try to prove me wrong?. My advice would be to take your family to a place where there is no internet where there is no media influences there you would be doing a great job as a parent ..... Is your child affected take my test its FREE and Easy to use turn the wifi off for a week And god blesses you all
Adult written by Tom C.
Agreed!
Adult written by mw6969
So, a mother (woman) is the neglecting 'babysitter'?
Tired of women being advertently or inadvertently being labeled as the only ones responsible for a child's welfare. It takes a village to raise a child and support families as they navigate this challenging new world of the internet. Please choose your words carefully and don't assume 'the mother' is the person who neglects.
Kid, 10 years old
I like many YouTube channels. I really enjoy Game Theory, the host Matthew Patrick (MatPat), never swears in his theory videos unless is the occasionally h-word (which I really don't see as a swear word). The channel is not specifically targeted towards children, but it is quite kid friendly. On his live channel, GTLive, (which he hosts with his fabulous wife), he puts warnings for any games that include content that's not suitable for everyone. DanTDM is a YouTuber that used to swear occasionally, but never does in his videos anymore. I wouldn't prefer your kids to watch his older videos, where he swears a little bit, but his newer videos (mostly Roblox) are kid friendly. He plays some horror games like Five Nights At Freddy's and Hello, Neighbor but there is no blood or anything graphic. He puts a warning up for jump scares. The horror games are more for older children. He plays some funny games too but there might be some toilet humor. He has also played GTA V (he made the video super kid friendly!). He was just showcasing a funny mod. He plays teen games like The Sims sometimes. ThinkNoodles is another great channel, with a variety of different videos. He plays Roblox to Minecraft to Who's Your Daddy?. Madeyewlook (I'm pretty sure that's how it's spelled), does costume makeup tutorials. Alexys (the host) doesn't swear. She's really helpful for Halloween makeup. She makes the funniest sarcastic jokes. There are many more that I can't name at the moment. Hope this helped!
Kid, 11 years old
but hey, thats just a theory, a GAME theory!
Teen, 13 years old written by LunaLovegood28
I understand why parents might be thinking this way but really, most videos with swearing and mild references aren't that bad for your child. Actually it'll more-so be a thing that children are afraid of their parents reaching because they know they aren't supposed to watch stuff even though the terms are used very vaguely. Children actually know a lot more than you think, and what is going on in their heads is more important than what they are watching.
Also what would be better is that instead of worrying about the amount of cursewords there are in the video (unless there are too many not-so-mild references in all of this youtubers videos) parents should focus more on how long they're watching the videos and when they're watching the videos and what type of videos they are (and when I say this, I mean like how educational it is, how is it improving them, how it changes they're behavior) because that can show how its affecting the child's thought process and actions. If the child is watching a video while they are supposed to be working, and they've been watching it for about 4 hours then you need to have a talk.
Teen, 13 years old written by LunaLovegood28
I understand why parents might be thinking this way but really, most videos with swearing and mild references aren't that bad for your child. Actually it'll more-so be a thing that children are afraid of their parents reaching because they know they aren't supposed to watch stuff even though the terms are used very vaguely. Children actually know a lot more than you think, and what is going on in their heads is more important than what they are watching.
Also what would be better is that instead of worrying about the amount of cursewords there are in the video (unless there are too many not-so-mild references in all of this youtubers videos) parents should focus more on how long they're watching the videos and when they're watching the videos and what type of videos they are (and when I say this, I mean like how educational it is, how is it improving them, how it changes they're behavior) because that can show how its affecting the child's thought process and actions. If the child is watching a video while they are supposed to be working, and they've been watching it for about 4 hours then you need to have a talk.
Kid, 11 years old
These are some very good tips on how to keep your child in a kid-friendly zone and see what they're doing. I can list a few kid-friendly YouTubers that every child can watch without a parent being worried for the safety of their mind.
1: TheDiamondMinecart/DanTDM
2: StampyLongNose/StampyLongHead
3: Aphmau (This may not be good for an 8-year-old, but 10-year-olds to 11-year-olds, sure!)
4: Grian
These are all kind of YouTuber gamers, but they are all aware of the younger faces on YouTube, and so they never cuss, never do anything inappropriate, and always make their side of YouTube a kid-friendly environment. This is just a comment from an 11-year-old, but hopefully that gave you some options for your son/daughter. I hope you enjoyed. Bye!
Kid, 11 years old
yay! dan and stampy! woop woop! lol.
Kid, 12 years old
I watch youtube all the time and don't understand the hate. Youtubers are so diverse that it actually makes kids more aware of the world's issues and peoples differences. For example, LGBT+ YouTubers such as Troye Sivan, Connor Franta and Tyler Oakley have taught me to respect people for who they are.
Seeing as youtube is so diverse I thought I should give a description of different youtube channels.
Danisnotonfire- He does swear a few times in each video however he is hilarious and very relatable. His videos can be quite educational as well as funny such as his ones about exams or how stupid smoking and nudes are.
AmazingPhil- Phil doesn't swear on camera which is good. He is really happy and quirky and makes entertaining videos
||Superwoman||- Her videos can be about mildly mature topics however they are really enjoyable.
Jacksepticeye- He swears and is loud (but that's what I love about him) but his gaming videos are quality you can really tell how much he cares about his fans
Colliscool- Her channel is very relatable and funny but she does swear (but srsly she's great)
Troye Sivan- Swears every now and then but is really friendly and inspirational.
REACT/FineBrothersEntertainment- Videos are aimed at different age groups which are ideal for viewers.
Onision- Not for young kids as he swears and talks about mature subjects, he is hilarious though.
KickThePj- PJ is very creative and I really recommend his videos. I don't think he swears but there probably is the odd swear here and there (I tend to not notice)
One YouTuber I want to warn parents about is Sam Pepper as he is a rapist and I really don't want your kids to have to find out about what he's done to fans.
There are other YouTubers so feel free to ask about my view on them
Adult written by corbeild
My 8-year old and I have been working on a Minecraft gaming channel more geared toward children. The videos are almost all based on time-travel - going to different points in history to relive, or re-create certain events. Our biggest challenge is finding ways to inform parents that our channel actually exists. We've put hours into each ~8 minute video only to have them trumped by junk videos (YouTube will always favour a 30 second video of a guy getting hit by ball).
If anyone is interested in sampling one of our videos, here is the URL to our latest entitled "The End of an Era" (dinosaur extinction):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3VSAw8YCF8 .
If you have children who enjoy Minecraft, I promise they won't be disappointed.
Thanks.
Adult written by Lauren C.
Fun fact: the YouTube algorithm favors videos that are over 10 minutes long. It might be worth aiming for 10 minutes to get an extra edge.
Adult written by Darrel444
U-tube needs to do a lot more to control what is on there! Parents should have to ok everything a minor puts on it! It's sickens me to watch some of the videos & if you flag them nothing happens. Parents should have to read comments! Lot of sickos out there
Adult written by SJMT3127
My children love Frithgar. His channel is child friendly and has lots of minecraft and Farming simulator videos. My kids would sit there all day if I let them.
Adult written by Monera
Honestly, issues like these cannot really be given general advice. You know your kids the best and what they can and cannot handle. Anyways, most kids can handle much more than we give them credit. I watched YouTube since 3rd grade and turned out a decent human being. so what if they "know" a little more than you wanted. It's more concerning if they try to emulate certain things or catch some bad attitude, but more likely, they just move on to the next video. This whole "age appropriate" buzzword is complete nonsense because everyone is ready for different things at a different age in their life. An impressionable 16 year old may not be mature enough to watch the videos a more mature 14 year old could. There is no magic age that someone can be exposed to something. Besides, who says we need to keep our kids in some hermetically sealed bubble where the only perspective they gain is from us? What happens when they are no longer in our jurisdiction, so to speak? If you make certain topics and ideas the forbidden fruit, they'll gravitate to it when they can and behind your back. It's a much more valuable skill to discern what messages are good, bad and ludicrous on your own when your parents are no longer there to micromanage your thoughts. It's much better to let them explore some ideas you may not be so comfortable with, and have an open talk about them. You may be surprised they too don't take it seriously! Now that is "age appropriate" for everyone 0-100!
Kid, 12 years old
You just basically summed up ANY essay (that might exist out there.) on how much we, as a society in general, overprotect and shield our kids from "inappropriate" ( which, by the way, the term "inappropriate" is used pretty loosely. I mean, back in the day, I'm sure parents got riled up when Chuggaaconroy said a swear word, since he doesn't really swear all too often nowadays and even back then, well, aside from The Runaway Guys, that's when he can say whatever the hell he wants.) stuff in one, big-ish paragraph that would usually take like, 50-125 paragraphs, from a essay made by a student at Yale.
Adult written by randomelyawesome1969
Inappropriate language and content are not the worst things on YouTube that can harm our kids. It's the complete stupidity of many of the videos. To kids, the dumbest video is the most entertaining. Watch some other kid play Minecraft? All day? YouTube allows no option to filter or block these dumb videos from showing up on PS4. So our decision is to completely ban YouTube.
Teen, 14 years old written by Bobtheblob
People struggle to understand why we would want to watch someone play a video game, but it's very similar to wanting to watch sports games. They enjoy playing the game themselves, (or not in some cases) but still would rather watch someone with more experience play the game better. Also, video games have so much variety that I personally find it much more engaging than sports- Who wants to watch the same game played over and over and over again? Youtube gamers play a different game or a different part of a game every video, or at least the good ones do. Minecraft is a little different because it is so diverse and there are endless different things to do in it, and so even though Minecraft gamers technically play the same games every time it's a completely different process.
Obviously your kid shouldn't watch YouTube all day, but banning it all-together seems a little extreme. It's your kid though and I don't know the full extent of the situation, so it's your decision in the end, but maybe think about it a bit more before proclaiming that something is dumb.
Kid, 11 years old
Quite a bad decision from my point of view to completely ban it.
Teen, 15 years old written by YouTubeTrash14
I didn't realise that people could be so stupid! So what if your kid likes Minecraft videos? I used to. It's not dumb, its just a video of someone playing a REALLY popular game. I understand if the player is stupid but that doesn't the video needs to be banned, I really don't think you're mature enought for Youtube.
Teen, 15 years old written by ShadowWolfX2
I'm a 13 year old youtuber that makes gaming videos, I never curse in my videos, and I mostly play video games. I also watch videos by Jacksepticeye, markiplier and pewdiepie and I have no problems with them.
Adult written by Captain Ranomness343
My username here is my name on youtube exactly check it out
Adult written by SayuriN
Good Lord this article is ridiculous. "Being sleuthy" may tell you what your child is watching, but that's about it. It won't tell you what your child is thinking, or why they like a certain channel. Only open, non judgemental conversation can accomplish that. Also, let's not forget that the resulting trust issues if you're ever found out will definitely be worse than your kid mooning over a cute British boy in secret for a few years.
Kid, 11 years old
I for one am a big mlp fan. I mostly watch Yum soda,bins toy bin and mlpstopmotion I also watch some animal jam videos. The great thing is that for any scary/inaproprite videos (most) people put a warning. And if you only watch things on a few select channels is that in the home screen it will mostly be things from that channel ! Youtube is a amazing place for people to do what they love to do!!!!
Kid, 11 years old
I for one am a big mlp fan. I mostly watch Yum soda,bins toy bin and mlpstopmotion I also watch some animal jam videos. The great thing is that for any scary/inaproprite videos (most) people put a warning. And if you only watch things on a few select channels is that in the home screen it will mostly be things from that channel ! Youtube is a amazing place for people to do what they love to do!!!!
Kid, 11 years old
I for one am a big mlp fan. I mostly watch Yum soda,bins toy bin and mlpstopmotion I also watch some animal jam videos. The great thing is that for any scary/inaproprite videos (most) people put a warning. And if you only watch things on a few select channels is that in the home screen it will mostly be things from that channel ! Youtube is a amazing place for people to do what they love to do!!!!
Teen, 14 years old written by BandFanGirl
Hi! I'm a teen and I LOVE Youtubers like PewDiePie, Connor Franta, iiSuperwomanii, Danisnotonfire, AmazingPhil, and Tyler Oakley. My mom watches their videos with me all the time. (whenever dan and phil release a new video, I rush to sit next to her and we watch it together). My mom doesn't seem to have any problem with them. She doesn't mind the swearing and some mild inappropriate references. Granted, Tyler Oakley makes more than mild references, and quite frequently. (My mom doesn't really watch Tyler Oakley, she finds his videos on the boring side). If you are against swearing or if you have a young child, I would suggest AmazingPhil and iiSuperwomanii. Phil doesn't swear in his videos and if someone else does he bleeps it (except for the occasional h word, which isn't often, unless Dan is with him). Superwoman does say mild curse words such as the d word and h word. She also sometimes makes mild inappropriate references, but it's mostly funny. PewDiePie, Danisnotonfire, and Tyler Oakley swear frequently and strongly (f words) though, although Dan doesn't swear as much as he did before. Also, just a tip to parents, from a teen: If you see one video from a youtuber that you don't like, please don't ban your child from watching that youtuber at all! Watch their other videos, all of them won't be like the one you disliked.
Teen, 14 years old written by Kalynn
Wow, i'm glad my parents trust me and don't feel the need to do this stuff,
it's not that i'm doing anything wrong or would mind if they did, i just prefer personal space and am happy with the fact that my parents trust me to do the right things and make the right decisions online, i'd rather not have my parents hovering over my shoulder 24/7.
Kid, 11 years old
Thinknoodles is a really good kid friendly youtuber to watch. He uploads almost every day and he has minions in his Think's lab series in a story/mod review.
Kid, 11 years old
There is a lot of good channels on youtube but some of the channels you have to be a little careful. Thinknoodles is a good choice because he has family friendly videos. The safety option on youtube doesn't work that good. It only blocks out videos that too many people flag. A lot of good channels get blocked out with the safety option enabled.
Adult written by DraggyBDragon
Hey! I actually have a YouTube Channel that is geared towards children and young-teens! Maybe you guys and your children would like it?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClxMDq6zRlQWJZWz_RrQNPg
Let me know what you think!
Kid, 11 years old
There are lots of youtube channels that are really good for learning. Gaijin Goombah is a great example because what he does is he analyzes culture in video games through episodes of Game Exchange.
Kid, 11 years old
I can't believe Common Sense leaves Thinknoodles out of the picture. Your kids like minions, stories, and Minecraft. There, you're done. No worries there; he releases videos very frequently.
Teen, 14 years old written by Basicly No One
So I'm going to guess your leaving Syndicate out of the question for good role models?
Kid, 12 years old
yeaaaaaaaaaa, HEY WATCH EXTRA HISTORY
Teen, 13 years old written by NinjaNate
This is very helpful now i can talk to my parents about watching YouTube. Also,
I'm a PewDiePie fan too!
Adult written by otaku27
There are definitely lots of places where you can find child friendly video game content, one site I would definitely suggest checking out is www.gameru.com. They provide video tutorials for console and mobile games — a little something for everyone. But quality control & no vulgar/abusive language from their game experts sets them apart from all the others.
Kid, 12 years old
Youtube is something you should allow a boundary push on. The main thing about it that you will find is the cursing. I believe if you find about 50 fun channels that are mainly appropriate, then you can have fun with youtube without danger.
Teen, 13 years old written by Darksouls444
yes I agree on your post there might be the bad words but it is mostly clean.
Kid, 10 years old
I find this interesting that im 10 and I love PewDiePie. What I find funny is my mum knows I love Pewds and she personally loves him too.
Teen, 13 years old written by Darksouls444
yes another PEWDIEPIE! fan but I wish they added markiplier and yamimash and more to the list they had
Parent of a 15-year-old written by Caroline Knorr
I think that's great that you are enjoying YouTube together!
Adult written by ostaff1
I'd like suggestions for an iPad app alternative to YouTube, that I can set (or has pre-set) filters for the under-13 age group. Any suggestions?
Parent written by Gwenevieve
We have been using the app Video Monster and iTubeList. They are apps for the iPad and allow you to control what your children see from Youtube. Recently there have been some issues with Video Monster, it is free but not uploading Youtube videos well. The iTubelist app is working well. It just takes time to set up.
Parent of a 15-year-old written by Caroline Knorr
Check out this list of YouTube alternatives! https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/youtube-alternatives
Parent of a 15-year-old written by Caroline Knorr
Great idea! We will be publishing a feature about YouTube alternatives for kids. Please check back!
Adult written by UnmaskedHearts
I don't know if this works on an IPad but I did a quick Google search and found youtubeforchildren.com I'm assuming it's like YouTube but the results are 99% filtered for children.
Parent of a 6 and 8-year-old written by tommiemommie
I would like to remind parents to check the comments that their children leave on videos. There's a video on how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twcmbB00NJM. We run a children's channel and we have gotten very inappropriate comments from children using their parent's log in. We had a little girl who was leavy very hateful comments form her family's business accout. I Googled the business and called the family and notified them because I was concerned for their livelihood. Kids also have posted their phone numbers and addresses. I have a comment filter which catches most of them. I always delete them, but I try to reach out to mom and dad if the information went public and did not get caught by the filter because I believe they really need to know about this.
Adult written by YouNonocommonsense
May i ask how do you know children are using their parent's log in you must be made of magic or you think i'm stupid. I think you are trying to gain trust whilst marketing your channel great job did this gain a little more traffic on your channel . Trolls are everywhere and they come in all ages just another reason not to let your child use YouTube. . I will be also flagging this comment also
Parent of a 15-year-old written by Caroline Knorr
That is an excellent suggestion. Sounds like you're doing your part to keep parents informed of what their kids are writing. It would be ideal if parents watched with their kids and posted constructive feedback together -- parents can really model good digital citizenship that way.
Adult written by benh1
For those younger children try www.sprogtube.com, a safe place for children to watch YouTube videos.
Parent of a 15-year-old written by Caroline Knorr
Thank you! We are going to be doing a round-up of streaming video services just for kids. I think they are great and I advise parents to use them. Kids gravitate toward YouTube, but there are good, age-appropriate alternatives.
Add comment