MANILA β YouTube has launched YouTube Kids in the Philippines β an app built with parents and children in mind that makes it easier for kids to find videos on topics they want to explore. Since YouTube Kids launched in over 14 countries, itβs been downloaded tens of millions of times by families who rate it among the top five kids apps available. Weβre pleased to bring it to families in the Philippines, and itβs now available to download for free on Google Play and the App Store. Built from the ground up with little ones in mind, the free Kids app makes it easy for children to find videos on topics they want to explore.
Here are some of the key features:
Bright and playful design
The appβs kid-friendly design makes it even easier to find Little Baby Bum or the latest video of In The Night Garden. With larger images and bold icons, YouTube Kids is fast and simple for little thumbs to navigate. And weβve built in voice search so that even if your child canβt spell or type, they can still find videos of things theyβre curious about.
Family-focused content
Weβve built the YouTube Kids app to be a more family-friendly version of YouTube, a place for kids to explore their imagination and curiosity. You can browse channels and playlists in four categories: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore. Search for videos of particular interest to your family, like why penguins waddle on National Geographic Kids, or watch favorites from Thomas and Friends, Wallace and Gromit, and Reading Rainbow. And of course, your kids can watch new series from YouTube channels they already like.
Parental controls
Weβve built options into the app that help you control the experience for your kids and put parents in the driverβs seat.
Learn how the app works: When parents open YouTube Kids, they learn upfront how our systems choose and recommend content and how to flag videos. We always try to make the videos available in the app family-friendly, but no system is perfect. So if you ever find a video youβre concerned about, please flag it. This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone.
Search settings: Weβll also prompt you to make a choice about how broadly you want your child to explore – turn search on to access millions of family-friendly videos, or turn search off to restrict your childβs experience to a more limited set. Either way, parents decide the right experience for their family from the get-go.
Timer: Let the app be the bad guy with a built-in timer that lets you limit kidsβ screen time. The app alerts your child when the session is over, so you donβt have to. (Youβre welcome. π
Sound settings: Sometimes you need a little peace and quiet! You have an option to turn off background music and sound effects, so your kids can keep watching while parents catch a breath.
Custom passcode: Parents have the ability to set their own passcode, and to access settings and other parental information in the app.
YouTube Kids on the big screen: You can now also watch YouTube Kids as a family on your big screen using Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smart TV.
Don Anderson, Head of Kids and Learning Partnerships, YouTube Asia Pacific, said, βAs a father of two young children, Iβve had first-hand exposure to the power of video and how it can enrich a childβs life, whether it is through listening to nursery rhymes, or accessing math and science content, or a host of other topics that entertain and engage. YouTube Kids is our first step in reimagining YouTube for families, an experience that gives you a world of video in your pockets, and a world of possibility and knowledge at your fingertips. Weβre excited to see how YouTube Kids will better help your family explore, learn, and sing along.β
Itβs easy to get started using the YouTube Kids app. When parents open the app for the first time, we explain how our systems choose and recommend content and how to flag videos. We also prompt you to make a choice about how broadly you want your child to exploreβturn search on to access millions of family-friendly videos, or turn search off to restrict your childβs experience to a more limited set. Either way, parents can decide the right experience for their family from the get-go.
Weβre so excited to bring YouTube Kids to the Philippines, and look forward to your ideas so that we can better help your family explore, learn and sing along. Enjoy!