When we think of access to unlimited videos, we think YouTube. The social media site has on offer millions of videos ranging from all topics like entertainment, information, DIY videos etc, even the kids are not left out. There is engaging content which kids can enjoy on YouTube. Not just entertaining content like cartoons or tv shows but also informative videos which teach them say about science, nature etc. This makes YouTube an all-time favourite for both kids and adults. The danger this unlimited access to videos poses to kids is when watching their favourite show or cartoon if there is no supervision they might unknowingly click inappropriate content to watch. YouTube is great at keeping kids occupied but there has to be adequate control set up to keep them safe.
Some background on YouTube show that in very minute over 100 videos are posted on the site. Yes, over a 100. As exciting as this is because of the possibilities for entertainment and information this number poses, it also increases the risk of kids watching content they aren’t supposed to. This is why parental control must be set up on YouTube to serve as a protective barrier between inappropriate content and your kids. The great thing about YouTube parental controls is that it is free and built into the site. Setting it up is easy to follow and it acts as a great first line defence against inappropriate content from been accessible by your kids. It is not a complete guarantee that they would not access inappropriate content, but this is a great first move towards protecting them and restricting the content shown to what is appropriate for kids. See here at https://parentalcontrolnow.org/
Parental control is called Safety Mode on YouTube. Once Safety Mode is activated, the site automatically deploys some restricting parameters whose aim is to filter inappropriate content from your kids. Some of these parameters are age restrictions, community settings amongst others. YouTube Safety Mode does not work alone. It works in hand with Google SafeSearch. Google SafeSearch works as a filter for offensive content online. So, once YouTube Safety Mode is activated Google SafeSearch is also automatically activated. This way your kids have two lines of defence against videos or images which are not appropriate for them.
To turn on the YouTube Safety Mode might be a bit taking but it is a fairly simple process. For each browser you use on your computer, Safety Mode has to be enabled on it. what you need to do is launch each browser, open YouTube and enable Safety Mode. This process is done manually. What happens is every time YouTube is launched, Safety Mode kicks in to grant access to only appropriate content. This feature can also be manually enabled on all your individual devices like your Tablet, mobile phone etc.
To make the process clear, lets take it step by step. This is to enable adults activate the Safety Mode feature on their computers and mobile devices so as to provide protection for kids from unlimited content which are inappropriate for them to watch.
First step is Open a browser window, type in the address bar www.youtube.com. This step will launch the youtube page and you will see a side bar with different options lined and at the top is a sign in button, different options for videos in different categories like music, infomercials, etc.
Second step Click the Sign in button at the top of the side bar which is to the right of your screen. when you click this button, all you have to do is follow the steps as you are prompted to successfully complete the sign in process. Once this is done, scroll done the youtube page till you see the safety button.
Third step, first Click On, then followed by Clicking the Safety Button. This way the Safety Mode feature has been activated on YouTube. Now, you can take it a step further from here by ‘locking in’ the Safety Mode feature into the browser. How this can be achieved is by using a password. When you click on the option to Lock in Safety Mode, you will be prompted to create a password. The creation of this password locks in the Safety Mode and can only be accessed by entering the password when prompted.
When this process is completed, you can check to verify that Safety Mode is activated by typing in for a search, the results returned would be accompanied by a message which says’ Some results have been removed because Safety mode is enabled’. Well, at this point I guess you can rest a bit easily.
YouTube is one of the of the best social media sites which everyone uses. The amount of information shared there is mind boggling. Thousands of people around the world have learnt one skill or the other from YouTube. From learning how to bake, how to cook, how to sew. Millions of do-it-yourself videos teach you how to make different things also. Then when it comes to academics, there are thousands of videos which can help you in any area in which you are struggling to understand. It would be similar to taking classes in school, the difference will be it is at your own pace, you can pause your teacher or even leave the video and come back to it.
The downside to this great site despite the number of helpful videos in almost every area or the number of entertaining videos which you can watch, there are also equal amounts of inappropriate videos which are posted there. This content can range from anything and are not suitable for all ages. This is why parental control is important. As much as we would want them to be exposed to as much helpful information as they need, they also have to be protected from the content/videos which would only lead to harming them. Activate parental controls on YouTube to keep your kids safe.