YouTube Kids App With Child-Friendly Content Launched in India

Google-owned YouTube has launched its child-friendly video platform YouTube Kids in India. It is a free, standalone app that can now be downloaded in India from Google Play and the App Store, and features content and user interface customised for the little ones.

The company has roped in top content creators from India to create videos for the new YouTube Kids platform. The Android and iOS app interface consists of larger images and bold icons which makes it easier for to navigate, says YouTube. The new app also supports voice search to let children find videos if they cannot spell or type yet.

The YouTube Kids app has channels and playlists across four categories, namely Shows, Music, Learning, and Explore. Users in India will get access to content like Little Krishna videos, new seasons of Cat & Keet and Appu - The Yogic Elephant, as well as learning shows from channels like ChuChuTV and Kids TV. These are in addition to the existing breadth of child-videos already available on the full YouTube platform, such as Galli Galli Sim Sim, Exam Fever Videos, LittleBabyGum, etc.

YouTube Kids also has several parental control features to allow parents to restrict usage by children. These include controls over search settings (turning search off to not let kids find new videos via the search function), timer (to limit the video viewing time), passcode provision, and option to turn off background music and sound effects.

Content from the YouTube Kids app can be streamed on TV using devices like Chromecast, Apple TV, and gaming consoles. It is also compatible with smart TVs.

While Google does keep track of the videos available on YouTube Kids to make sure they are child-friendly, it also allows parents to flag content if they find something inappropriate on the platform. The app was launched in February 2015 and is currently available in more than 20 countries, with over 10 million downloads and 10 billion video views so far, according to Google.