YouTube empowers viewers of all ages to experience safer internet

KARACHI: There’s no arguing that time spent online is an ever-increasing part of our lives, from how we communicate with friends and family to where we learn and find entertainment. And because a lot of that happens right here on YouTube, it’s our commitment to invest in the products, built-in protections and easy-to-use tools to make being online safer for the people of all ages, a statement said.

In honour of Safer Internet Day, are the latest tips that empower you to manage your YouTube experience — from mindfulness customisations and data privacy protections to controls and resources for families.

Be more mindful of the way you spend time online with digital wellbeing tools

We’re all trying to be more thoughtful of how we spend our time online and over the last few years, we have introduced a suite of tools to help you manage your time on YouTube, like bedtime reminders, time watched and controls to tailor autoplay settings.

The Safer Internet Day is a great reminder to check your settings and make sure they are still working for you.

Review and manage your data on a regular basis

Looking at your YouTube data regularly helps protect your privacy and gives you more control over your viewing experience.

YouTube makes it easy for you to access your data through the “Your Data in YouTube” page. There you will find a summary of your content and activity data, along with the settings and controls to manage your data, and information on how it is used to improve your YouTube experience.

You can browse or delete your YouTube activity — including comments you have made on videos and channels you have subscribed to — and review your watch and search history, which helps improve your recommendations in YouTube and other Google services.

Extend protections for kids and tweens by signing into YouTube Kids and YouTube on eligible devices

Every family’s relationship with media and technology is different. For the parents and caregivers, we offer options to help them decide what is best for their kids and are investing in new ways to improve these experiences.

Signing into YouTube Kids and YouTube on eligible devices is a quick tip to help YouTube work better for the families. Here’s why:

YouTube Kids gives signed-in parents all the controls to customise the experience to the specific needs of their youngest kids. They can make a profile for each child with individual settings, block content or approve specific channels and videos and even decide to share content from YouTube directly with their child in YouTube Kids.

Our supervised experience on YouTube works well for the families with tweens who have their own mobile device, or want their own account. We spent the last year expanding support for these supervised accounts so that tweens can sign into YouTube on gaming consoles, smart televisions, the YouTube Music app and more.

This helps us respect a parent’s choice of content setting across devices in the home, where their tween watches videos or listens to music.

Get tips and connect with kids about online safety with our special YouTube Kids playlist

Today’s kids will be lifelong users of technology and the ongoing education is important for their safety and long-term success. That is why, we launched our YouTube Kids playlist, “Build a Safer Internet”, which you may see upon opening the YouTube Kids app. The playlist will feature content that raises awareness about the safe, responsible and positive use of technology for the families.

With the kid-friendly tips and songs on the internet safety and resources to talk about mindful screen time, these videos are meant to help the parents and their families navigate the digital world.