A new child-friendly version of video-sharing site YouTube is to soon be launched as a smartphone app.
The free software will purge YouTube of its more adult content and feature videos suitable for youngsters. YouTube Kids is available for download from Monday, but will initially only be rolled out for Android.
“Parents were constantly asking us, can you make YouTube a better place for our kids,” the project’s group product manager Shimrit Ben-Yair told USA Today.
“(Year over year) we’ve seen 50pc growth in viewing time on YouTube, but for our family entertainment channels, it’s more like 200pc.”
As well as the app’s content being exclusively aimed at kids, it’s also been specially designed to be easy for them to use. Parents can also limit their child’s screen time through the app’s settings.
“The images are big as are the tap targets for small fingers, and since most younger children can’t type they can search with voice,” said Ben-Yair.
YouTube image via Shutterstock