How to use Approved Content Only on YouTube Kids

Approved Content Only lets a child use YouTube Kids with a collection selected by a parent. Choose Approve content yourself inside the YouTube Kids mobile app, then add individual videos, channels or collections. The child cannot search in that mode. Be deliberate about the size of each approval: a channel or collection allows more than the single video you happened to preview.

Set it up in the YouTube Kids app

Use the child's device and open YouTube Kids. Enter the parent settings, complete the parent check and select the intended profile. Authenticate with the parent's password if requested. Under the profile's content settings, choose Approve content yourself.

Read the introductory explanation, select the option to continue and add the content you want available. Finish with Done. Return to the child's view and check the result before handing over the device.

Google specifically directs parents to use the YouTube Kids app to switch into this mode. Looking only in Family Link, the regular YouTube app or a television menu can leave you searching for a control that is managed elsewhere.

Choose the size of an approval

A video approval is a narrow decision: this item may be watched. A channel approval delegates more future choice to the creator. A collection can include several channels gathered around a topic by YouTube Kids or a partner.

For example, approving one drawing tutorial does not require approving every upload from that channel. If you like one science series but have not checked the creator's other material, start with the series' individual videos.

There is no need to fill the library immediately. Five familiar choices can be easier to review than fifty unfamiliar ones. Expand it when the child asks for something specific.

Maintain the list

Return to the profile's Approved Content Only settings and use Manage to review what you allowed. Remove an entire channel approval when you want to return to individual selection. Check collections too; otherwise a broad approval can still make a video available.

Use the preview of the child's experience while selecting content. Then inspect the real child view. Your approval list and the child's screen should tell the same story.

If you want to add eligible material found in the normal YouTube app, use sharing with a child's profile. This can make some videos available that are absent from ordinary YouTube Kids browsing, but not every YouTube video is eligible.

What this setting does not cover

It does not lock the whole device, remove ads from the source, or replace a viewing-time rule. The child may still leave the app unless you also manage the device. Parent selection is a content decision, not a guarantee about a child's reaction to every scene.

You also remain responsible for reviewing new choices. A trusted creator can change format, add sponsorship or publish for a different age group.

If the option is missing

First confirm that you are in the YouTube Kids mobile app and the intended profile. Profile-based settings and settings for a managed Google account may differ. Do not change a birth date or remove account supervision to make a menu appear.

Use the missing-setting troubleshooting guide to check those conditions. If you prefer to keep a larger catalog and exclude only a few known sources, blocking videos and channels is the less restrictive option.