Parents are likely well aware of YouTube controls to better manage what younger kids can watch on the video giant. But YouTube has just rolled out a better way for parents to better understand what their teen content creator is doing on the platform.
Collaboration Between Teens and Parents
Starting this week, parents and teens will first need to link their accounts in YouTube’s Family Center. Once that is complete, parents can see information about their teen’s channel activity on YouTube. That will include number of uploads, subscriptions, and comments—even on unlisted videos. Both the parents and teen will also receive an email notification at specific events including a video upload or livestream.
In a blog post, YouTube noted that this is the “first iteration” of the experience. It will also include advice to both parent and teens on responsible content creation from Common Sense Networks, an affiliate of Common Sense Media.
With an eye on mutual control, teens and parents can choose to unlink their accounts at anytime if they don’t want to share the information.
Currently, YouTube Kids and supervised experiences for pre-teens reach more than 100 million logged-in and logged-out viewers each month. If you have a young child, make sure to see what you need to know about YouTube Kids.
In late 2023, YouTube limited recommendations of videos that could be problematic if viewed in repetition by teens.
It’s nice to see YouTube create a well-conceived tool for parents to better monitor what their content creator teen is doing on the service. Instead of treating teens like a young child, this feature helps bring parents and teens together to communicate about what is being posted. And it should give parents a better peace of mind about how their teen is using YouTube.
While parents likely first think of how their teens are using social media like Snapchat or Instagram, YouTube is a popular way for kids to express themselves and has a number of social features. My teen isn’t a YouTube content creator, but if she ever expressed interest in starting her own channel, a tool like this would make me feel much better about her trying it out.
