I don’t know if any of you have ever shared my problem, but I am the parent of a four- year-old-girl. More specifically, a four-year-old-girl who is obsessed with YouTube. My wife and I used to think it was kind of funny when she would watch videos of PlayDoh, “Thomas the Train” and similar demonstration or cartoon videos. In the last six months, the things she liked to watched changed. The videos were harmless, but very annoying, especially to her dad.
She was really into the mysterious hand that opens toys (Fun Toyz Collector)...
That wasn’t too bad, but the straw that broke the camel’s back was when she got hooked on these two families. These two families document everything and post it to YouTube. (The Shaytards and Daily Bumps).
I told her she had to quit watching them, which always led to her reply, “But, Dad, they are so nice.” About a month ago, I just took the app off her iPad. She was pretty upset and kept asking about it. Of course, I lied and told her that Apple broke the app and they were fixing it. I thought she would forget about it for a couple days, but she never did. About once a week, she would ask me to call Apple and see if they could fix it. Then last week YouTube dropped the YouTube Kids app. This app became my iPad savior.
She was really into the mysterious hand that opens toys (Fun Toyz Collector)...
That wasn’t too bad, but the straw that broke the camel’s back was when she got hooked on these two families. These two families document everything and post it to YouTube. (The Shaytards and Daily Bumps).
I told her she had to quit watching them, which always led to her reply, “But, Dad, they are so nice.” About a month ago, I just took the app off her iPad. She was pretty upset and kept asking about it. Of course, I lied and told her that Apple broke the app and they were fixing it. I thought she would forget about it for a couple days, but she never did. About once a week, she would ask me to call Apple and see if they could fix it. Then last week YouTube dropped the YouTube Kids app. This app became my iPad savior.
The YouTube Kids app is pretty slick, and it has easy to use navigation with a few (very few) parental controls, but most importantly, it has filtering to make sure the videos she watches are age appropriate. I have not put the filter through its paces, but it seems pretty fantastic. Since she is four and can’t spell, it is not a priority for me at this point.
My daughter was excited and thrilled when I put the new app on her iPad, and of course, she told me I am the best dad ever...again.
Here are a few features you may like in this app.
When looking at the home screen, The interface is easy for kids to manipulate. The icons at the top navigate to the following:
My daughter was excited and thrilled when I put the new app on her iPad, and of course, she told me I am the best dad ever...again.
Here are a few features you may like in this app.
When looking at the home screen, The interface is easy for kids to manipulate. The icons at the top navigate to the following:
Kids can click on this link to see recommended videos. Example - If you watch a video of Olaf singing, it may recommend you watch a video of Anna singing. This option can be removed by turning off search.
When you click on this icon it displays YouTube shows. Example - Nerdy Nummies ( check it out if you haven’t)
YouTube Radio is the next icon. Example - Kidz Bop
Clicking on this icon will shift to learning videos. Example - Khan Acadamy
If you would like to explore other types of videos click on this icon. Example - Play Doh videos
Search button. Much to my disappointment I found that by searching, I could locate all of the the videos I listed above. But you can remove the search from the navigation in the settings.
Security Settings
In the bottom right corner of the screen you will see a little padlock icon. Click on that to get to the parental settings. You can turn off the default sounds, remove search, and also set a timer. The timer will end your YouTube session after the selected time.
Here is a video of the app in action.
In the bottom right corner of the screen you will see a little padlock icon. Click on that to get to the parental settings. You can turn off the default sounds, remove search, and also set a timer. The timer will end your YouTube session after the selected time.
Here is a video of the app in action.
Jason Marshall - Technology Consultant
@jmarsh77
@jmarsh77
For more posts like this, please subscribe to our blog! You can also connect with us on social media if you Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter or add us to your circles on Google+.
RSS Feed
