YouTube has brought its popular YouTube Kids app to the UK and other English-speaking territories.
Google launched YouTube Kids in the US back in March, offering parents a safe video app aimed specifically at children. It was an instant success, with some 10 million Americans downloading the app over the past nine months.
Now YouTube Kids has been made available in the UK, as well as Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.
YouTube Kids is a modified version of the online video app that filters out adult content and surfaces fresh kid-friendly channels and videos. The search system will block any unsuitable search terms, too.
YouTube Kids also disables the comments system which, in the full YouTube service, frequently plays host to some rather objectionable viewpoints (not to mention appalling grammar). Children will be unable to upload any personal videos through the app too.
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The YouTube Kids app pushes local channels to the fore. In the case of the UK and Ireland apps, then, kids will get easy access to popular brands like Teletubbies, Morph, The Magic Roundabout, and Wallace & Gromit.
The app is free to download and use on Android and iOS, but there will be advertisements in between the videos, just like regular YouTube. Google says these ads are family-friendly, but the service has come in for some criticism for “deceptive advertising” in the US.
It’s also been claimed that the kiddie filters aren’t always quite as effective as they should be.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.