How do you manage YouTube Kids without it becoming a battle?

[DadtoDaughters]

Does anyone else find YouTube Kids really frustrating?
I have two daughters, aged 8 and 10, and I’m finding it increasingly hard to get the balance right. Even when they start on something fairly wholesome, YouTube Kids seems to drift towards endless slime making, plastic toys, cake decorating, shouty challenges and the same low-quality videos again and again.
I’ve tried making playlists, but they still seem to get pulled back towards the same sort of content.
Ideally, I’d like them to have a better mix: creativity, nature, science, making things, movement, calm wind-down content and genuinely interesting videos.
Has anyone found a good way of managing this, without turning it into a constant battle?

Thanks,
M

Block, block, block eventually the algorithm gets the message

I also have a “no flicking” rule. DC has to pick one thing and watch that. Normally horse / animal videos so I’m ok with it ~unless it’s Harlow~

Just don’t let them watch YouTube?

We don't allow YouTube kids. It might be safe content but a lot of it is mind numbing.

Mine have a locked down standard YouTube in which they can only access channels we subscribe to. They tell us what they want and we will look for a suitable channel. They have CBBC, draw with Rob, Mark Rober, NAT Geo Kids etc.

You could stick it on the TV and take the remote so they can’t change it.

And whilst I think you tube kids is awful and outright ban it for my youngest at 8 and 10 I would personally be more relaxed and would let them watch short bursts of slime making and cake challenge crap with a 20 minute time limit on their iPads (presuming that’s how they’re watching it).

We don't have you tube or Roblox there's plenty of options for good screen time without watching nonsense

We had exactly the same issue with our two. The plastic toy unboxing spiral seems to happen no matter what you do.
Making playlists does help but you have to be quite deliberate about it, seed them yourself with the kind of content you actually want first, otherwise YouTube fills the gaps with whatever keeps them watching longest, which is rarely what you had in mind.
Because I'm a dev, I also built an app called WayTube that tries a slightly different approach. Instead of approving whole channels, it scores each video individually using AI, so even within a channel you like, the lower quality stuff gets filtered out. Ages 8 and 10 is actually a great fit for it.
I also just put together a ranked list of YouTube channels for kids based on our scoring data, organised by age group and category — might be useful for finding the science, nature and creativity mix you are looking for. No login needed, just a list.
waytube.app/top-channels
The underlying problem is that the algorithm is optimising for engagement not quality, and for kids those two things pull in very different directions.

No kids YouTube here.

If they want to watch a video they come and ask to borrow my iPad and they are only allowed to watch that video, usually Lego or craft.

They do have very liberal amounts of TV and I’m happy for them to spent a bit of time gaming (no Roblox and not in the evenings).

YTK turned both of them into horrible people. They are not horrible people so banning it restored balance.

I don't allow it. Ive boycotted youtube completely since reading a book which talked about how their algorithms work.

Don't have it whatsoever. Obviously getting rid at this stage will also be a battle but there is literally no benefit or need for youtube kids. DD doesn't use it at all

Also no YouTube, no Roblox here, DD 10 is occasionally allowed to watch some YouTube on the TV to do with her hobby, no one in the house watches it for entertainment, we all use it for education (I’ve learnt many a DIY skill from YouTube!)

We removed access. It was hard for a week and then fine.
If she (11) needs to look something up for a hobby or to answer a question, then she is allowed to use the laptop downstairs to use full YouTube but with us present, to do so. No scrolling! Best decision I’ve made!

I have a similar problem but ours is with Smart TVs. We have tried to delete YouTube off the TV but it seems to come back. My children also select my profile rather than theirs so bypass the kid filters. We want to ban it but aren't always in the room when they are watching TV. It is such mind numbing nonsense that they watch. Usually people doing pranks or someone playing Minecraft or Fortnite.

Go cold turkey on that and games.

Don't let your kids use Youtube. You wouldn't get them on the sherry so don't get them on the algorithm. They have no defences against it.

Yes, set out expectations. Given the ages of your children this is easier than it is when they are 4.

The expectation is they can watch Youtube and only the approved videos. The consequences of breaking those rules results in a ban for whatever time you think is right. Any additional back chat results in more time being added to the ban.

How you can phrase it so they understand, give them an equivalent scenario. Their teacher tells them they are doing maths, what would happen if they did something other than they were asked? What would be the consequences in school for arguing back to a teacher?

Why then would it be acceptable at school to accept the rules and not argue and yet expect something different at home? This is what you lay out before you give them access to Youtube, or anything for that matter.

If they start yelling, tell them nice and calmly that isn't how we talk to each other and that you will continue this talk when the use an indoor voice. Model this yourself, no shouting unless someone is in danger. Agree with them, yes it does seem unfair but those are the rules for watching Youtube.

If it continues I would say clearly you are not old enough to have access to Youtube if this is how you choose to behave, emphasis on the word choose, they choose their behaviour, you choose the consequence. Name the behaviour you want to see and also share watching Youtube with them, make it part of a thing you do together. For primary aged children Slow Mo Guys was always a treat in school.

And yes I have been through this, I have two sons who had this sort of reaction with Fortnite, other computer games, tv watching, it is a tale as old as time.

Youtube is an incredible resource, but you have to wade through a lot of crap to get to the good stuff. You can also cast it from your phone to the tv that way you control it.

Just have them watch actual TV.
CBBC or Cbeebies (available on iPlayer as well as live TV).

Whitelist. Instead of blocking/blacklisting, it means you select the approved channels and that's all they can watch.

Don't let them watch it. And the website smartphone free childhood is useful for research as to why.

We have Samsung TV’s and you can block specific apps (and the web browser) which has stopped errant children finding it 🤣

I let my 9 year old watch it, she watches fancy cake/chocolate making and some other random stuff, i just limit it to an hour a day.

We block it, don’t allow it.

It turns them feral. I don’t need feral kids in my life and they don’t need the total shit that it mostly peddles

I came on to say this too!
You can change the settings on Youtube Kids so it will ONLY show the channels you allow.
My Kids are smaller (3 and 5), but as far as they know, YT only shows 3 things!
I did this after trying unsuccesfully to block Blippi! It just kept popping back up...