YouTube Kids generates a fraction of the traffic of the main site

[Shawn Knight]

In brief: Most kids that do watch YouTube Kids tend to switch over to the main app before they hit the age of 13 and once they leave, they don’t come back. Jenny Radesky, a University of Michigan assistant professor of pediatrics and an expert on childhood development, said that once kids “let the genie out of the bottle with YouTube main,” it is hard for them to go back. YouTube Kids often feels too baby-ish or restrictive afterwards, she added.

YouTube Kids, the youth-focused version of Google’s video sharing platform with a slant towards kid-friendly content, has spent more than four years creating a safe haven for younger viewers. Through its curated selection of content, parental controls and improved recommendation engine, YouTube has invested heavily in making YouTube Kids a place that offers parents peace of mind.

The problem, it seems, is that not many people are convinced.

A spokesperson for YouTube Kids told Bloomberg that more than 20 million people utilize the platform each week. That may sound like a lot but in comparison, the main YouTube app boasts more than two billion monthly users.

Despite facing heavy criticism regarding toxic videos and backlash regarding how it handles the matter, YouTube isn’t being forced to make any immediate changes. According to Insight Strategy Group, a full 97 percent of children have used YouTube with kids between the ages of five and 12 reporting they spend more time on YouTube than anywhere else online.

Masthead credit: YouTube Kids by Myndalion

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https://www.techspot.com/news/80560-youtube-kids-generates-fraction-traffic-main-site.html

 

[stewi0001]

Yup, I'm not convinced either. I don't let my kid watch YouTube (even using the YouTube Kids app) He will start off with something like Blippi or Peppa Pig but eventually ends ups with some weird CGI stuff in a different language.

 

[Raytrace3D]

Yeah, YouTube kids is pretty terrible. I don't let my son watch it because all to often you start out watching something okay, then it'll start playing something totally inappropriate or not part of the channel selection we've setup. Thankfully my son is good enough to tell me. One of the reasons why I have a local media server instead. Makes me wonder if any of the developers at YouTube actually have kids (or have any kind of morale filter).

 

[JimEs]

Yup, I'm not convinced either. I don't let my kid watch YouTube (even using the YouTube Kids app) He will start off with something like Blippi or Peppa Pig but eventually ends ups with some weird CGI stuff in a different language.

*flashback to Toys in Japan*

 

[mrtraver]

I've never understood why there is no YouTube Kids website. My kids don't have phones so we have never tried TY Kids, but they want to access YouTube from my PC all the time.

 

[McMurdeR]

Yup, I'm not convinced either. I don't let my kid watch YouTube (even using the YouTube Kids app) He will start off with something like Blippi or Peppa Pig but eventually ends ups with some weird CGI stuff in a different language.

There's still a lot of creepy content on YT kids. Amature cgi videos or weird adults playing with toys, much of it clearly never been vetted by a human. It's kind of unsettling.

 

[ghostf1re]

Yup, I'm not convinced either. I don't let my kid watch YouTube (even using the YouTube Kids app) He will start off with something like Blippi or Peppa Pig but eventually ends ups with some weird CGI stuff in a different language.

I hate it too and also don't let me kid use it. The problem is I'm divorced and my ***** ex just lets him watch things on it without monitoring him. There's a lot of weird stuff on that app and I just don't like it.

 

[Danny101]

No part of YouTube is safe for kids.