YouTube Kids
Ranked 3 of 3 kids video apps by recommenders
Parents can restrict it to hand-picked channels and videos, which people say works well in curated-only mode. Critics say inappropriate content still gets through the filters.
Parents can restrict it to hand-picked channels and videos, which people say works well in curated-only mode. Critics say inappropriate content still gets through the filters.
31 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 25
- approval share
- 19%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Parents choose allowed videos and channels
“YouTube kids allows you to select certain videos, channels, or collections, and only allow your kids to view those that you've selected.”
Comment from 14 Dec 2025 in “YouTube's CEO limits his kids' social media use – other tech bosses do the same” “YouTube Kids does a pretty good job IF you change to curate only mode”
Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “TIL: Parental Controls Aren't for Parents”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Parental filters and controls fail
“I found they did not work well at all and I could easily watch anything in the expanded kids section.”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “EFF to Governor Newsom: Veto California's AB 1709” “You then trust that something like YT kids might work only to realize that it doesn't.”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Living Human Brain Cells Play Doom on a CL1” “IF the filters actually worked for youtube kids then i would not have an issue with it”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “Streaming platform Twitch added to Australia's teen social media ban” - Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban”
- Comment from 12 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: KidScreen, a finite YouTube shelf chosen by parents”
Inappropriate and low-quality videos recommended
“If a TV channel back in the day had the kind of crap that YouTube Kids has, it would pay a heavy fine.”
Comment from 9 Jun 2026 in “Dopamine Fracking” “Youtube Kids is absolutely not safe for kids and youtube is turning a blind eye to all of this”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Living Human Brain Cells Play Doom on a CL1” “My intro to AI slop videos was sitting next to a 3yo who was watching YouTube Kids”
Comment from 28 Sep 2026 in “Has Violence Against Teachers Become Accepted by Society?” - Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Fighting the age-gated internet”
- Comment from 19 May 2026 in “Google I/O”
Harms kids' attention and habits
“Giving a kid a phone loaded up with the Youtube Kids app is literally like feeding them crack.”
Comment from 25 Oct 2026 in “Amazon’s “digital pacifier” for toddlers” “My kid is already struggling with attention thanks to youtube kids”
Comment from 29 Jul 2026 in “Why Kids Can't Quit Roblox” Fundamentally a bad idea for kids
“Youtube kids is designed for toddlers, and should probably be shut down entirely.”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban” “The whole YouTube for kids idea is a bad one to begin with.”
Comment from 12 Aug 2026 in “YouTube sets Made For Kids flag on inappropriate video,won't let owner change it”
Other kids video apps people recommend
The two most recommended other kids video apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 3 kids video apps, rankedWhat people said
All 37 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“YouTube Kids is a thing, but that is too restrictive.”
“They also aren't allowed youtube on their own, so never got onto the conversion ladder from crap to exploitative crap.”
“Giving a kid a phone loaded up with the Youtube Kids app is literally like feeding them crack.”
“My intro to AI slop videos was sitting next to a 3yo who was watching YouTube Kids”
“I found they did not work well at all and I could easily watch anything in the expanded kids section.”
“garbage software where the most important features are broken”
“We use it all the time for our 8 year old.”
“The whole YouTube for kids idea is a bad one to begin with.”
“My kid is already struggling with attention thanks to youtube kids”
“plopping them in front of "Youtube Kids" instead of being a parent”
“YouTube kids is addictive enough”
“If a TV channel back in the day had the kind of crap that YouTube Kids has, it would pay a heavy fine.”
“YouTube Kids is a cesspool of content”
“I can’t believe the kind of crap that gets recommended in the Kids app.”
“The transition out of the app is designed to fail.”
“the UX makes that transition harder than it needs to be”
“Try blocking Blippi from YouTube Kids, man, it's crazy”
“it seems it does have ads targeted at young children”
“Try blocking blippi from youtube kids, man its crazy”
“an app with controls that do not work”
“platforms like Roblox, Fortnight, Lego (kids) Fortnight, YouTube Kids”
“YouTube Kids is too limited for older kids”
“You then trust that something like YT kids might work only to realize that it doesn't.”
“Youtube Kids is absolutely not safe for kids”
“Youtube Kids is absolutely not safe for kids and youtube is turning a blind eye to all of this”
“it doesn't have the older educational content he's actually interested in”
“"no way, that's completely banned at home"”
“even YouTube Kids has weird rabbit holes”
“Might not happen on YT Kids, I basically never use either”
“YouTube Kids does a pretty good job IF you change to curate only mode”
“YouTube kids allows you to select certain videos, channels, or collections, and only allow your kids to view those that you've selected.”
“Youtube kids is designed for toddlers, and should probably be shut down entirely.”
“it works horribly because apparently Family Guy counts as "for kids"”
“there seems to be a abundance of inappropriate content for kids on there”
“IF the filters actually worked for youtube kids then i would not have an issue with it”
“Youtube Kids needs to be banned too”
“they have youtube kids but they don't like it, so they never use it”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.