New York (AFP)
YouTube announced Wednesday that it will offer accounts in the coming months that allow teenagers to use the platform within the restrictions imposed by their parents.
In its beta version, this service will give parents the ability to use their Google account to get their children to YouTube (a subsidiary of Google) while monitoring available content, said James Beser, head of family products at the platform.
“We've heard from parents and older children that pre-teens and younger teens have different needs that our products don't fully meet,” Beser wrote in a blog post.
"We are announcing a new choice for parents who have decided that their pre-teens and young teens are ready to explore YouTube through a supervised account," he added.
Using the "explore" feature, parents will be able to view videos considered appropriate for children 9 years of age and older, such as tutorials, video games, music videos, or educational and topical content.
Another setting will allow children to have access to videos deemed suitable for children aged 13 and over and to include live broadcasts.
A third option will give parents the option of making all YouTube accessible to their children, except for content requiring a minimum age or dealing with sensitive subjects.
The purpose of this range of choices is to allow parents to give their children more freedoms on YouTube while setting certain limits, says Beser.
“We will use a mix of data related to user research, machine learning and human intervention to determine which videos will be included,” the official said.
"We know our systems will make mistakes and we will continue to improve over time."
Originally intended for users over 13 years old, the video sharing platform created in 2015 the YouTube Kids service containing features such as parental controls.
YouTube has been frequently criticized for not sufficiently filtering content and ads inappropriate to its younger audience.
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