YouTube is releasing a new app for children.
Google is launching a version for kids of YouTube that will feature appropriate content and controls. The app from Google Inc. ’s online video service will run on smartphones and tablets and is expected to feature original episodes of popular television shows for preschoolers such as “Thomas the Tank Engine” and “Sesame Street,” as well as content from the kid-safe channels already featured on YouTube.
The new app will filter out certain search terms on it, USA Today said in a report. If a child types in a word such as “sex,” a message prompts the kid to try something else, the report said.
The app will give parents control over how much time the child can spend on it. Parents will also have the ability to turn off search and sound. Channels and playlists will be organized into four categories: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore.
The app, called YouTube Kids, is expected to be free and will be separate from the mainstream YouTube mobile app. It will feature kid-friendly design, with big, bulbous icons and minimal scrolling, the person said.
The company is planning to announce the new app on Monday, when YouTube executive Malik Ducard is scheduled to give the keynote address at Kidscreen Summit, a conference for the children’s entertainment industry.
In launching an app aimed at children, Google will have had to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which is overseen by the Federal Trade Commission. Among other COPPA rules, websites that cater to children must notify parents if they collect personal information.
YouTube to launch a kid-friendly app
