With children becoming more internet savvy at a younger age there can be a problem with them doing certain things on the internet. YouTube is a video sharing site that kids learn about quickly because they can watch all the kid’s videos they want without taking up time on the television. But is YouTube safe for children and should you let your kids watch without supervision? There are many ways to make this great video sharing site safe for your children. Below are some ways that you can let your children watch their favorite videos without being able to view inappropriate materials.
Create a Separate Account
Do not let your children use your YouTube account without you sitting with them. You don’t want to monitor your own viewing pleasure so make sure that they have their own account that can be set up for them. They can have their own subscriptions to children’s videos and other content that you approve of. This makes it easier for them to watch what they want when they want. When it’s your turn on the computer you can easily switch over to you own account where you can have your own subscriptions that you may not want your children to see.
Parental Controls
Always set up parental controls on any account that your child will be using to keep them from accidentally accessing inappropriate content. Younger children are pretty easy to deal with because they haven’t learned how to change the setting like some of the older children and teenagers might. All you need to do is go down the bottom of the YouTube page and click on safety. A menu will drop down that allows you to turn safety on. The default is safety off so this must be done when you open the child’s YouTube account page. This keeps all inappropriate videos from appearing in search queries.
Keep the Computer in a Public Area
If you really want to know what your kids are doing on YouTube then the computer they access it from should be in a public place where you can peek in on them. If it’s in their room they have more freedom to watch what they want or to turn off parental controls. You can also sit and watch with them so you know for sure that they are only watching age appropriate videos and that they are not turning off the safety feature that YouTube provides. This is important because sometimes people who post videos falsify info to get more likes and followers. You can learn more about other ways to get more views on this site.
YouTube can be a safe place for people of all ages to watch the videos that they want without much hassle. If you have younger children and want to allow them to watch their favorite videos on YouTube you need to protect them. Make sure that you have parental controls on an account that you set up just for their viewing time. Always keep the computer in a public area of the room so you can monitor exactly what they watch and how long they’re watching it. Just like with television, they may never want to get out from in front of the screen!
