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Now Your Kid Can Have Their Own YouTube Profile

Create a profile for each of your kids in the YouTube Kids app. Once you do that, the design of the app will be tailored to your kid's age.

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Heads up, parents: The kid-friendly version of YouTube is getting a few upgrades intended to make it even more fun and engaging for your little ones.

For starters, you can now create a profile for each of your kids in the app, the designs of which will be tailored to your child's age. "Younger kids will get less text, while older kids will get more content on the home screens," YouTube Kids Engineering Director Balaji Srinivasan explained in a blog post.

Plus, kids can set their own passcode to get into their profile and keep nosy siblings out. Don't worry, parents: you'll be able to override this passcode at any time, if necessary.

The YouTube Kids app launched in 2015 and now boasts more than 11 million weekly active users in 37 countries. Collectively, users have racked up 70 billion views in the app.

"After talking to parents all over, we know that kids who love the YouTube Kids app are getting older and want a platform that'll grow with them," Srinivasan wrote. "Whether kids are watching Monster High, DC Kids, Lego, learning their ABCs, or picking up the latest tricks in Minecraft, we want YouTube Kids to help."

The app is also getting a new setup process, which will give parents "detailed information to help you make the right choices for your family before your kids use the app," Srinivasan wrote.

YouTube has systems in place to filter mature content from the app, but Srinivasan admitted that "no system is perfect." The app has come under fire in the past, for instance, for displaying ads for Coca-Cola and Oreos.

"If you find a video that you think should not be in the app, you can block it and flag it for review," Srinivasan wrote. "This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone."

In the near future, the app should also be more engaging for tweens. Srinivasan said the YouTube Kids team has been working to "identify the most relevant content categories for tweens to make the app even more awesome" for them.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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