YouTube gives UAE parents new controls over children’s viewing
Parents can limit Shorts, set content levels and manage children’s YouTube access
Dubai: YouTube has launched supervised kid accounts across the Middle East and North Africa, including the UAE, giving parents more control over what children watch on the main YouTube app.
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The new accounts are designed for families who feel their child is ready to move beyond YouTube Kids but still want safeguards, privacy protections and viewing limits in place.
Parents can choose from three content settings, set daily limits for Shorts scrolling, switch off Shorts entirely and manage their child’s experience through YouTube’s Family Center or Google Family Link.
Parents get more control
Supervised kid accounts are optional and can be removed by parents at any time. YouTube said the feature is intended to give children access to the wider YouTube platform while keeping age-appropriate protections in place.
The three content settings are Explore, Explore More and Most of YouTube. Explore includes content such as educational videos, tutorials, arts and crafts and dance. Explore More adds content such as gaming and live streams, while Most of YouTube allows access to almost all videos except those rated 18+ or considered unsuitable for supervised accounts.
The feature also gives parents a way to manage short-form viewing. YouTube said the new Shorts feed timer is an industry-first tool that lets parents set daily limits for scrolling Shorts. Parents can also set the timer to zero, which turns off Shorts scrolling completely, including during periods such as exam season.
Built-in safeguards
The supervised accounts come with protections that are turned on by default for users under 18. These include Take a Break and Bedtime reminders to encourage healthier viewing habits.
YouTube will also disable some standard features on supervised kid accounts, including the ability to create content or write comments. Personalised ad targeting will not be allowed, and autoplay will not be switched on by default.
The new kid accounts join supervised teen accounts that are already available in the region. Teen accounts allow parents and teenagers to link accounts, receive email notifications when a teenager uploads a video or starts a live stream and view shared insights into channel activity.
"It’s essential that we protect young people in - not from - the digital world," said Garth Graham, Head of Health at YouTube. "Thoughtful safeguards like kid and teen accounts help us continue to give young people a place to learn and explore, while ensuring the right tools and boundaries are in place to keep them safe and give families a choice.”
How families can set it up
Parents can create supervised kid accounts through Family Center inside the YouTube app or website menu. The accounts can also be set up through the Google Family Link app.
The feature will gradually become available for families across MENA and Turkiye from July 2. Countries where supervised kid accounts are now available include Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Iraq.
YouTube said the new accounts form part of its wider family safety work, which includes YouTube Kids, a separate app with a curated library of age-appropriate videos, and Google Family Link, which allows parents to manage app usage, filter content and set digital ground rules.
