Just recently we reported that Google had a new app in the works, specifically designed for children, and the company has now officially launched YouTube Kids.
Over the past year, the company has been working with parents and teams across Google to create a kid-friendly version of its popular YouTube video service. This new version called YouTube Kids comes in the form of an application for iOS and Android, and is designed to be simpler, with a brighter design and bigger interface to appeal to children.
"When we were kids, if we wanted to learn more about gorillas or how to make friendship bracelets, our parents pointed us to an encyclopedia, or took us to the library. When we wanted to watch cartoons, we eagerly awaited Saturday morning. Today's kids have it even better-they have all of these options, plus a world of knowledge and information at their fingertips via the Internet. That opens up wonderful opportunities, but also can cause some worry for those of us who are parents," Google explained in an official company blog post on Monday, Feb. 23.
"For years, families have come to YouTube, watching countless hours of videos on a variety of topics. And today, we're launching YouTube Kids, a new family-friendly app that makes it easy for kids to explore a vast selection of videos on any topic."
"In the new YouTube Kids app, available on Android and iOS in the U.S., videos are narrowed to focus on content that is appropriate for the whole family. You might explore DIY arts and crafts, learn how to find the circumference of a circle, or watch favorites from Mother Goose Club to Minecraft, as well as new series from National Geographic Kids and Reading Rainbow. And there are more train videos than even you can count."
In other words, the new YouTube Kids app has a limited selection of videos, as only the ones that are appropriate for kids will be available. The content will be broken down into four playlist categories - Shows, Music, Learning, and Explore - so kids and parents can easily find content they are interested in. Of course, search functions are also available so that users can find exactly what they are looking for. Voice search, meanwhile, will allow even kids who don't know how to write yet to search for content on YouTube Kids.
As expected from a kid-friendly app, the new YouTube Kids also comes with a number of parental controls, enabling parents or guardians to limit the kids' screen time, turn off background music and sound effects for more peace and quiet, turn off search to leave just the videos on the home screen, as well as voice their opinions or requests for the app and content on a dedicated feedback page.
As previously noted, YouTube Kids is available for Android and iOS, although previous rumors suggested that it will come only for Android at first. Moreover, kids' tablets Kurio and nabi will also support it in the future. For now, interested customers can download YouTube Kids for Android here or iOS at this link. For more details, check out the video below.
