At this moment, it’s nearly unavoidable that your little ones will engage with YouTube. Kids appear to become adept at swiping and scrolling on touchscreens before they can even speak. Acknowledging this phenomenon, YouTube launched the YouTube Kids app for iPhone and Android back in 2015, providing a safer, child-friendly space for young audiences.

Now, for the first occasion since its inception, YouTube Kids has experienced a thorough redesign. The revamped app now closely imitates the main YouTube platform, featuring a refreshed appearance and improved functionality.

“As part of YouTube’s ongoing design modernization, we are excited to announce that we are introducing a new aesthetic to the YouTube Kids mobile app!” YouTube revealed in an update on its official YouTube Kids community site earlier this week.

What’s New in the YouTube Kids App?

The most notable change in this update is the app’s redesign.

In the past, YouTube Kids featured a distinctly playful look, with an interface that seemed entirely different from the standard YouTube app. It was specifically designed for very young audiences, showcasing a simplified and cartoonish aesthetic.

The updated YouTube Kids app, however, embraces a more contemporary, YouTube-inspired style while still retaining a kid-friendly atmosphere. The new design is more vibrant and visually captivating, appealing to children across various age groups, not just toddlers.

The redesign also presents a more recognizable interface for those familiar with the main YouTube app. Video categories are now located at the top of the home screen, reflecting the layout of YouTube’s primary platform. Moreover, the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen closely resembles that found in the regular YouTube app.

An additional major change is the app’s new capability to operate in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Previously, YouTube Kids was limited to landscape mode. However, in light of the increasing popularity of short-form video content like YouTube Shorts, the app now accommodates vertical viewing, aligning with current viewing preferences.

While the redesign introduces a refreshed look and enhanced usability, the fundamental features of YouTube Kids remain intact. The app continues to serve as a safe environment for children to watch age-appropriate material, with YouTube making substantial improvements in tackling past content moderation challenges that once afflicted the platform.

Despite the advancements, not everyone is pleased with the redesign. Some users have voiced their discontent in the comments section on YouTube’s update announcement. Nonetheless, the upgraded app is likely a better option compared to YouTube’s earlier move to discontinue its standalone kids app for smart TVs, which was incorporated into the standard YouTube app earlier this year.