In the 21st century, parents are raising a completely new generation of technologically-involved kids. Kids nowadays use smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. to log on to the internet for school, gaming, watching Netflix, etc. Even little toddlers spend their time playing games and watching nursery rhyme videos on the internet. Also, parents have started trusting their pre-teens and teenagers with cell phones because it helps them stay connected and also helps them know where their children are or what they are up to.
Parents nowadays have a pretty hard time weighing the advantages and disadvantages of providing their child with a certain degree of digital freedom. It is an undeniable fact that there are tons of amazing educational and entertaining content on the internet that kids can use to know and grow. However, the internet is also home to predators, identity thieves, phishers, etc. who can take advantage of your child’s naïve nature. That is why it is an excellent idea to use YouTube parental control and ensure a safe watch for your kids.
Crucial aspects
Here are the basic steps to understanding how to put parents control on YouTube. YouTube’s Restricted Mode on your browser/Android app/iPad. Follow the following steps for your web browser:
- Click on your account profile icon on the YouTube website.
- Your Main Menu will open. Locate the Restricted Mode toggle button on the menu.
- Click on the Restricted Mode toggle button to activate it. It is now on.
Here are the similar steps you can follow to activate Restricted Mode on your Android app.
- Tap on your account profile icon on the YouTube app.
- The Main Menu will open. Tap on the Settings option.
- Then, tap on the General option.
- Tap on the Restricted Mode toggle button to activate it.
YouTube’s safe search and Restricted Mode options will enable you to prevent your child from accessing inappropriate content like violence/nudity/sexual either accidentally or non-accidentally. Apart from Restricted Mode, you can also consider the following steps so that your children cannot bypass the restricted mode.
1. The process
Sign in to your YouTube account from your personal computer, and switch Restricted Mode on. After doing that, you should click on the Lock Restricted Mode option so that your child cannot simply bypass the protocols that are set in place. As parents, YouTube will allow you to put effective YouTube parental controls in place, thus totally eliminating your kid’s ability to access inappropriate content.
2. Install YouTube kids:
Another great alternative to the Restricted Mode hassle is installing YouTube Kids. YouTube Kids is a special version of the YouTube app that is made specifically for children and it only consists of content that is aimed at kids. All the content uploaded onto YouTube Kids is heavily supervised and as parents, you will not have to worry about your child accessing inappropriate content on YouTube anymore.
3. Numerous parental controls:
You can also access a bunch of other parental control options on the YouTube app, such as the Safe-Search option, Content Filtering and Reporting & Enforcement. For example, the SafeSearch option allows you to block all the inappropriate websites/links from Google’s search results. You can apply this same principle and enable Content Filtering on YouTube, so that your child cannot access inappropriate videos and audio. In case you come across disturbing content on the child friendly version, you can always report it to YouTube via the Reporting & Enforcement channel so that it can be taken down ASAP.
Monitoring and supervision
Apart from YouTube, it is a good idea to maintain a level of control over your child’s access to the internet. Although giving them a degree of privacy is desirable, it is also a prudent decision to maintain some mutually agreeable level of oversight, just to keep them safe from harm. Here are some of the main reasons why parental control is a good idea.
1. Kids do not just access the internet through conventional devices like their smartphones/tablets these days. A lot of kids access the internet through gaming consoles like the PS4/XBox/Nintendo Switch. Most multiplayer video games would allow your child to surf the web, make purchases and communicate with other players through the game itself. Proper parental control apps can help you ensure that your child can only access certain aspects of the content available to them.
2. Another troublesome aspect of allowing kids access to technology is that they can get addicted to it. Young kids lying around staring at the phone has become an incredibly common sight nowadays. Another way parental controls can help parents is by limiting their child’s screen time. Compared to adults, kids have a harder time wrenching themselves away from games, shows, etc. That is why built-in screen time features can really help you instill proper discipline and cyber habits in your child. That way, your child also will not have to suffer from bad posture, headaches, eyesight issues, etc.
3. Customizable parental control can be a very good way of keeping your entire family in check at the required level of oversight. Your 16-year old will obviously require less oversight than your impressionable 11-year old. That is why proper parental control features will allow you to customize the level of oversight you subject your children to. This ensures that there is trust within your children and also within your relationships with your children. You can set up different profiles so your kids can access appropriate content specific to them.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, parenting and maintaining oversight of all your child’s online activities can be a very daunting task. The most important objective of using YouTube parental controls and other forms of parental control is to establish a relationship based on mutual trust between you and your kids. By using these controls, you can also ensure that they do not get harmed by malicious cyber criminals, identity thieves, and scam artists and so on.
You can also protect your child from violent or sexually inappropriate content. Proper parental control will allow you to ensure your child’s well-being and safety and will also allow your child to access the content that they need for studies, entertainment and socializing as well. And Famisafe is a parental control app that ensures your children have access to only safe and good digital content. Moreover, if offers an array of features that allow parents to control and monitor digital habits of their kids.