YouTube parental controls: supervised accounts and YouTube Kids

What the risk actually is on YouTube

YouTube is a search engine, a feed and a video library all at once, so most of the risk is what the recommendations put in front of a child, plus comments and the Shorts feed that never ends. YouTube's controls choose how much of the library a child can reach. They do not turn a general video service into a children's one.

The age rating, and who kids actually meet

YouTube describes its levels as follows. A supervised kid account is a parent-managed version of regular YouTube for children under 13 (or the relevant age in their country). A supervised teen account is for ages 13 to 17 in most countries. YouTube Kids is a separate app with Preschool (4 and under), Younger (5 to 8) and Older (9 to 12) levels, plus a mode where you approve each video yourself.

For supervised accounts the content settings are Older kids (generally aligned with ratings for 9 and over), Teens (13 and over) and Older teens (16 and over). YouTube's page gives examples; for Teens it includes fleeting graphic violence in scripted content and frequent profanity. YouTube says teens are placed by account age: 13 to 15 on Teen, 16 to 17 on Older teen. Parents can change it.

YouTube says its automated systems "aren't perfect and will make mistakes". For supervised kid accounts, YouTube's page says Shorts, live chat and uploading are off and children cannot post comments. On the Older kids setting they cannot read comments either. On the other settings they can read comments, which YouTube filters and strips of outside links. Live streams are off only for Older kids.

The setup, step by step

Settings as of November 2026. YouTube has renamed these features, so you may see older names such as "supervised experience" or Explore and Explore More on other sites. We did not find those names on YouTube's current pages.

1. Find Family Center. On a computer: sign in to YouTube, click your profile picture, click Settings, scroll to Family Center and click Manage kids profiles and features for teens. On mobile: tap You, then Settings, then Family Center.

2a. A supervised kid account (under 13). In the YouTube app on your device, go to Family Center under Settings and choose add a kid account, then follow the steps. You can also use families.youtube.com, or in the Family Link app select your child, then Controls, YouTube. At creation you choose a content setting.

2b. A supervised teen account (13 and over). In Family Center click Invite a teen and Create invite. Your teen scans the QR code or you share a link. YouTube says both of you must agree before supervision starts.

3. Edit the content setting. In Family Center select the child's profile or account and, under YouTube settings, select Edit next to Content Settings. At 16 the default is Older teens, which YouTube says includes almost everything except videos marked 18 and over. Lower it to Teens if you want more filtering.

4. Turn off autoplay and pause history (supervised kid accounts). In Family Center select the child, switch Disable autoplay on, and switch Pause watch history and Pause search history on if you want them. Pausing history stops what they watch and search from steering recommendations. It does not hide anything from you. To see what they have watched, YouTube says to open My Activity and YouTube History on your child's device. For ages 13 to 17, YouTube says autoplay is off by default.

5. Set a Shorts limit and reminders. In Family Center select your child's account and open Time management to set a daily Shorts feed limit and the take-a-break or bedtime reminder. YouTube says the limit resets each morning, and a teen who reaches it cannot scroll the Shorts feed for the rest of the day. YouTube describes this on its Android help page, so your screen may differ. YouTube's April 2026 blog says parents in Europe can set it to zero to turn the feed off. We did not find a help page confirming a zero setting, so check what your app offers.

6. Block a channel (supervised kid accounts only). On a channel's page, open About, then Report user, then Block channel for kids (shown only when you are signed in to the linked parent account). We found no equivalent block-a-channel control on the teen supervision pages.

7. Or use the YouTube Kids app. Select the lock in the corner, solve the multiplication problem or enter your passcode, and open Settings. Pick the child's profile, enter your parent account password, choose Edit and select Preschool, Younger or Older. Turning Search off stops your child searching for videos. To set a timer, open Settings, solve the problem, and tap Set Timer.

What the controls do not cover

• Mistakes in the filters. YouTube says so itself.
• Re-uploaded videos. Blocking a channel does not block them elsewhere.
• A teen who ends supervision. Either side can.
• School accounts. Not available for supervised accounts.
• The wider web. YouTube's pages describe account-based controls on YouTube, YouTube Music and YouTube Kids. We found no statement about videos embedded on other sites, so do not assume the controls follow your child there.
• What a teen watches. YouTube's teen supervision page lists channel and upload information and counts. It does not list a feed of the teen's watched videos.
• What happens at 13. Google's Family Link page says it emails both parent and child when a child turns 13. Supervision stays the same until your child decides to update their account, and under 18 they need your approval to stop it.
• Signed out or another account. We found no YouTube statement that supervision applies when a child is signed out or uses a different account. Treat device-level limits such as Family Link or Screen Time as the backstop.
• Regional differences. Australian under-16s are signed out of YouTube from December 10, 2025, and Brazil requires parental supervision for under-16s to have a channel, according to YouTube.
• Other apps. See Google Family Link and Screen Time on iPhone for device-level limits.

What to say to your child

• "We're picking the YouTube that fits you. If a video worries you, tell me, even if it's one you picked."
• "Shorts can go on forever. Let's set a limit and a bedtime together."
• "If someone in the comments or a message asks you to go somewhere else, show me."
• "If you see something scary, close it. You will not be in trouble."

Sources

Read on YouTube and YouTube Kids help pages on November 12, 2026. See the citations.