YouTube Kid Accounts: YouTube launches supervised child accounts across MENA with new parental controls
The new feature gives parents greater control over children’s viewing experience through content filters, Shorts limits, and built-in safety protections across the main YouTube app.
Parents can now manage children's YouTube experience with supervised kid accounts.
YouTube has introduced YouTube Kid Accounts across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including the United Arab Emirates, allowing parents to manage what their children watch on the main YouTube app while maintaining stronger privacy and safety protections.
The new supervised accounts are designed for families whose children have outgrown YouTube Kids but still require age-appropriate safeguards. Parents can choose from three content settings, set daily limits for YouTube Shorts, disable Shorts completely, and manage their child’s viewing experience through YouTube’s Family Center or Google Family Link.
The feature is optional, and parents can remove supervised accounts at any time. According to YouTube, the system aims to provide children with access to a broader range of educational and entertainment content while keeping suitable protections in place.
Kyiv Attack: Russian Missile and Drone Strikes Kill 13 in Ukrainian Capital
Parents can select one of three content categories based on their child’s maturity level. The Explore setting focuses on educational videos, tutorials, arts and crafts, and other family-friendly content. Explore More expands access to include gaming videos and live streams, while Most of YouTube allows children to watch nearly all videos except content rated for adults or deemed unsuitable for supervised accounts.
The rollout also introduces a new Shorts feed timer, enabling parents to limit the amount of time children spend scrolling short-form videos each day. Parents can also disable Shorts entirely by setting the timer to zero, a feature YouTube says can help families during school exams or other periods when screen time needs to be reduced.
Supervised kid accounts include several safety features that activate automatically for users under the age of 18. These include Take a Break reminders and Bedtime notifications to encourage healthier viewing habits. Children using supervised accounts cannot upload videos, post comments, or access personalised advertising. Autoplay also remains disabled by default.
The new child accounts complement YouTube’s existing supervised teen accounts, which allow parents to connect with their teenagers’ accounts, receive notifications when they upload videos or begin live streams, and access shared insights into channel activity.
Garth Graham, Head of Health at YouTube, said the company aims to protect young people while enabling them to benefit from digital platforms. He said supervised kid and teen accounts provide families with tools and boundaries that support learning, exploration, and online safety.
Parents can create supervised kid accounts through YouTube’s Family Center within the app or website, or by using the Google Family Link application.
YouTube said the feature will roll out gradually across MENA and Türkiye from July 2. The service is becoming available in countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Iraq.
The launch forms part of YouTube’s broader family safety strategy, which also includes the dedicated YouTube Kids app and Google Family Link, giving parents additional tools to monitor app usage, filter content, and establish digital rules for their children.
