How To Turn On The YouTube Safety Setting For Children

How To Turn On The YouTube Safety Setting For Children

Free To Air TV

In the “Olden Days” T.V was filtered!

It used to be that the networks wouldn’t put adult TV shows or commercials on during children’s viewing times, it was sooo much easier then. With online T.V, Cable and YouTube even on xBox now.. expect that to be a far distant memory within the next few years.

The shift from Free To Air Viewing To Online

Children are watching more and more of their video online, and YouTube is the largest host of online video. In the next few years most video and what will in the future be referred to as, “previously known as T.V” will be online, this means you need to make sure your children are protected from adult video material now. Computers, iPods/iPads smart phones all have access to online video. Children as young as 3yrs old are getting access to iPods and iPads, Its NEVER Too early to ensure your 3yr old doesn’t accidentally come across an adult video from watching over an older child’s shoulder.

YouTube Search Is 2nd In Popularity To Google Search.

Of course watching a cute baby sloth or kitty videos are fun! As well as cartoons and animation made by other kids (Lego stop motion animation is hugely popular!) But a search for something by your child for something as innocent as “a Pussy Cat”, can pull up all sorts of videos you DONT want your 7yr old watching.

Please note: Officially children under 13years of age are not allowed to watch or have an account on YouTube. Therefor if your under 13yr old child experiences adult-only behaviour on YouTube videos you have absolutely no recourse. Read the terms of service please.

YouTube Has A Safety Setting, But Where Is It?

 

Most parents are unfortunately unaware that YouTube has a safety setting that you can set to “ON” to filter adult content on YouTube. When you do a search for “Pussy Cat” for instance after this setting is switched to “ON” yup! Its all (mostly) the feline kind that you want your child to be able to see!

The best Internet filters are YOUR ears and YOUR eyes, and your ability to communicate openly and honestly with your child.

Here’s the step by step of enabling the safety setting on YouTube.

First be sure you own a YouTube account. Just follow the prompts top right of the browser at www.youtube.com to join up.

Once you are in your YouTube account scroll down to the very bottom of the YouTube page.

YouTube Safety Setting1
YouTube Safety Setting shown switched off

Left click on the “Safety: Off” button lower right of the bottom of the YouTube browser

YouTube Safety Setting2
YouTube Safety Setting Click On

If you are not logged into your account you will get the message to sign in to lock the setting, meaning that anyone who uses this browser on this computer eg. Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, will encounter the safety setting switched on. It can then only be switched off, if they know your YouTube account password and disable it through your YouTube account. You need to do this for each browser and each computer. And you can’t do this on an iPod or iPad, you need to enable parental settings on the device in order to filter, another article on that soon!

YouTube Safety Setting3
YouTube Safety Setting3

Kids are very clever at getting around their computers, so ensure you are logged into your account and that your account password is secure, so that they can’t take the safety setting off. If they do try to search in YouTube for videos with a term that is a bit dubious there is a message that informs the user that the safety setting is on, and there some of the search results will be blocked. So no point in trying to hide this from the kids, be honest and tell them why its on.

YouTube Safety Setting5
YouTube Safety Setting Switch It On From Your Account

If activated inside your secure account, it can only be changed by you. If you try to change the Safety Setting in another account, you will get a message as per below that it cannot be changed.

YouTube Safety Setting4
YouTube Safety Setting4

So then when your little girl does a search for “Pussy Cat” she will see this !

YouTube Safety Setting6
YouTube Cute Cats!

Instead of THIS!

YouTube Safety Setting7
Bad Kitty!!!

 

Follow Me on Twitter! Click here ? @_LeonieGSmith

 

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