Almost two thirds of nine to 11-year-olds have mobiles now and limiting what content they see can be tricky.
With this in mind, YouTube is rumoured to be working on a child-friendly version of its video site aimed specifically at children aged 10 and under.
‘Multiple sources’ told The Information the site would only show videos deemed safe for this age group, and parents will control access to it.
The site would also filter out comments that contain explicit language, or other references to adult content.
According to the reports, the Google-owned site has already approached video producers to create suitable content and videos, and it’s thought this content would be available exclusively on the site.
The sources did not give any indication exactly how the service would work, or when it would launch. The reports suggest the site would be accessible through a separate app, or a locked channel. It is also unclear whether the site would run advertising or not.
YouTube already has a parental control feature called Safety Mode, which can be enabled from any page on the site, that hides videos containing inappropriate content flagged by users and other signals.
It also enables Google SafeSearch – a filtered version of searches – and once enabled is used across the site until it’s disabled.
Similarly, YouTube EDU is a channel designed specifically for school children and is full of educational videos.
