YouTube
YouTube is where most kids watch most of their video content, and increasingly where they post — both Shorts and long-form. The two biggest concerns are comment sections (especially under videos with younger creators) and the recommendation algorithm, which can move from neutral to extreme content in a single sitting.
If your kid posts videos under their own face or name, the comments under those videos are where most predator activity happens. If your kid is mostly a viewer, the algorithm is the bigger story — its job is to keep them watching, not to look out for them.
The settings that matter
Doing four of these is meaningfully better than reading twenty things and doing none.
Use YouTube Kids if they are under 13.
Settings → Profiles. YouTube Kids has heavier content filtering and disabled DMs. For 13+ on regular YouTube, this won't apply — see the rest of this list.
Enable Restricted Mode.
Account menu → Restricted Mode. Filters mature content from search, recommendations, and the watch page. Imperfect, but it noticeably reduces the volume.
Disable comments on any videos they post.
On each video → Comments. If your kid is posting under 18, disabling comments cuts off the single most common predator entry vector. They can re-enable when they are older if they want.
Pause watch history if the algorithm has gotten dark.
Settings → Privacy → Pause watch history. The recommendation engine is shaped by what they watch — if it is dragging them somewhere bad, this is the reset button. Clear history to wipe the slate.
Use Family Link supervision for under-13.
If your child has a Google account that is under 13, Family Link gives you supervision over YouTube content, screen time, and account changes from your own phone.
Audit subscriptions every few months.
Subscriptions accumulate quietly. Sit with your kid once a quarter and clear the channels they no longer watch. Cleaning the input cleans the output.
Worth knowing about YouTube
- YouTube Shorts and long-form behave very differently. Shorts is closer to TikTok in algorithmic aggressiveness. If your kid is a heavy Shorts user, the harmful-content awareness page applies more than YouTube's general reputation suggests.
- Comments under younger creators' videos are routinely a predator hangout. If your kid runs a public channel, comment moderation is non-optional.
- The algorithm responds to what your kid watches all the way through, not what they like or subscribe to. Pausing or skipping a video is the strongest “less of this” signal.
For your kid
Print the kid-friendly version
The Stay Safe Online booklet covers YouTube (and the rest) in language written for a teen to read. Free, printable, no email required.