YouTube’s Latest Parental Controls Seek to Outmaneuver Tech-Savvy Children


YouTube is rolling out new initiatives to assist parents in managing their children’s access to its extensive collection of content. On December 13, the platform revealed a new **parent code feature** for the YouTube app on smart TVs. This feature mandates users to input a password to access YouTube, even if they are not logged into an account that has parental controls enabled. This effort seeks to eliminate a prevalent loophole where children circumvent safety measures by utilizing accounts without login restrictions. Moreover, the code will be required to access accounts of older family members (ages 13 and above) or to unlink accounts from the TV.

### YouTube’s Ongoing Commitment to Child Safety
This modification is part of YouTube’s continuous work to enhance how younger audiences engage with its platform, irrespective of the presence of parental controls. Just a week ago, YouTube introduced a redesigned iteration of its **YouTube Kids app**, which first launched in 2015. The updated app now showcases a sleeker design that aligns more closely with the main YouTube platform but comes equipped with improved safety features aimed at children.

Earlier in the year, YouTube phased out its separate YouTube Kids app for TVs, choosing instead to embed the child-centric version within the main YouTube app. This adjustment enables children to utilize the platform through their individual profiles, reflecting similar approaches taken by other streaming providers.

### Responding to Parental Feedback
The rollout of the parent code directly addresses concerns expressed by users anxious about children accessing the standard version of YouTube through integrated profiles on televisions.

“We hope this modification provides you with greater peace of mind, knowing that kids cannot use accounts and features on your smart TV that are unsuitable for them,” YouTube mentioned. The company also highlighted that this update strives to enhance the personalization of recommendations in user profiles, minimizing the effect of family viewing patterns.

By persistently upgrading its parental control functionalities, YouTube aims to find an equilibrium between accessibility and security for its youngest users.