The safety of our creators, viewers, and partners is our highest priority. We rely on our community to help keep YouTube safe. Please review these Community Guidelines carefully, along with our full policy documentation.
YouTube Kids is designed to provide a safer, simpler environment for children to explore videos aligned with their interests. It offers a filtered selection of content compared to the main YouTube platform. Content is selected based on age-appropriateness, quality principles, and global diversity of interests.
All content must comply with these guidelines to appear in YouTube Kids. Content is excluded if it:
- Is more appropriate for viewers aged 13 or older
- Is age-restricted to viewers 18+
- Violates YouTube Community Guidelines
These policies are developed with input from parents and experts in child development, education, media, and digital safety.
Content Settings
YouTube Kids includes three content settings:
- Preschool (4 and under)
- Younger (ages 5–8)
- Older (ages 9–12)
Each setting determines what content is shown in recommendations and search results. Automated systems and human reviewers help enforce these standards, though not all content is manually reviewed. Users can report or block inappropriate videos.
Preschool Content (4 and under)
Designed for early childhood development, focusing on learning, creativity, and play.
May include:
- Safe themes: Nursery rhymes, cartoons, crafts, toys, yoga, read-alongs
- Language: Simple vocabulary without offensive language
- Violence: Non-violent, non-scary animated or scripted content
- Weapons: Toy or imaginary weapons in playful contexts
- Dangerous content: Safe, supervised activities (e.g., sports tricks, crafts with safe tools)
- Sensitive topics: Mild, age-appropriate discussions of emotions or life events without distressing imagery
- Music: Child-friendly music without sexual themes
Younger Content (5–8)
Includes a broader range of topics suitable for early school-age children.
May include all Preschool content plus:
- Romance: Brief, non-sexual affection (e.g., quick kiss)
- Violence: Mild cartoon or historical context violence (non-graphic)
- Weapons: Historical or artistic depictions of weapons
- Dangerous content: Light challenges or pranks with low risk; basic DIY with safety guidance
- Language: Occasional mild expressions (e.g., “oh my God,” “dumb”)
- Health & lifestyle: Basic education on fitness, food, and creative makeup tutorials
- Sensitive topics: Emotional themes presented positively and without graphic detail
- Music: Mild language or background depiction of alcohol/tobacco
Older Content (9–12)
Designed for older children transitioning toward general YouTube content.
Includes all Younger and Preschool content plus:
- Romance & education: Basic dating themes and age-appropriate sex education (e.g., puberty)
- Violence: Mild non-graphic violence in media, games, or news context
- Weapons: Realistic or toy weapons in gaming, animation, or educational context
- Dangerous content: Professional or controlled-risk activities; limited depiction of alcohol, tobacco, or DIY tools
- Language: Occasional mild profanity in non-abusive contexts
- Lifestyle content: Product reviews, beauty, wellness, and health education
- Sensitive topics: Balanced discussion of real-world issues with coping or educational framing
- Music: Mild suggestive content, occasional profanity, or references to substances
Commercial Content Restrictions
The following content is not allowed in YouTube Kids:
- Paid product placements or sponsored endorsements
- Direct advertising or explicit product promotion
- Content encouraging product purchases
- Excessively commercial or promotional videos
- Content focused heavily on packaging, branding, or product accumulation
Misleading or Low-Quality Content
YouTube Kids does not allow deceptive or manipulative content, including:
- Misleading or sensational titles and thumbnails
- Clickbait-style formatting
- Keyword stuffing
- Unrelated or incoherent mash-ups of children’s themes
- Content designed primarily to generate clicks rather than provide value
