YouTube Kids Approved Content Only: how to set it up and where it falls short (2026)
How to set up YouTube Kids Approved Content Only (now Approve content yourself), where it falls short, the TV question, and what Australian parents should know.
Approved Content Only is the most restrictive of the four YouTube Kids content settings. The app now calls it Approve content yourself. Your child can only watch the videos, channels and collections you picked, and search is switched off. You turn it on for one child profile in the YouTube Kids app, and it only covers that profile. The regular YouTube app and a web browser can still play videos you never picked, and Google does not say whether your list carries over to a TV.
What the setting does
- Your child can only watch the videos, channels and collections you handpicked.
- Search is off. Google's help page says your child can't search for any videos in YouTube Kids in this setting.
- Recommended videos come only from content you approved, not from the wider YouTube Kids catalog.
Sources: YouTube Kids Help: Parental controls for YouTube Kids profiles; YouTube Kids Help: Recommended videos in YouTube Kids
How to set up Approved Content Only
You need the YouTube Kids app and a child profile you created while signed in. Google says this switch can't be made from Family Center in the main YouTube app. In the YouTube Kids app:
- 1In the YouTube Kids app, tap Settings in the corner of the screen.
- 2Complete the multiplication problem or enter your custom passcode.
- 3Tap your child's profile and enter your parent account password.
- 4Tap EDIT SETTINGS.
- 5Select Approve content yourself. The other options are Preschool, Younger and Older.
- 6Review the info in the "Getting Started" pop-up, then tap Select.
- 7Tap any collection, channel or video to approve it for your child.
- 8Select DONE at the bottom of the screen to exit.
To change the list later, open the same profile settings and tap Manage under Approved content only. PREVIEW shows the app the way your child will see it. Approving is done one collection, channel or video at a time, so start with a few favourites and add more as you go.
Source: YouTube Kids Help: Parental controls for YouTube Kids profiles
Turn off autoplay too
Autoplay is a separate setting in the same child profile. If you disable it, Google says your child can't turn it back on. With autoplay off, the end of each video is a natural place to stop.
Source: YouTube Kids Help: Manage YouTube Kids profile settings
Where Approved Content Only falls short
If odd videos still reach your child with the setting on, check these gaps first. The TV, sign-in, sharing and ad details come from Google's own help pages.
It only covers the YouTube Kids profile
The setting belongs to one child profile in YouTube Kids. It does nothing in the regular YouTube app, in a web browser or on another profile. If your child can open any of those, the list you built does not follow them.
TVs take a different path
On a TV, Google's help page says your child enters YouTube Kids through a kid's profile inside the regular YouTube app. The same page says that if you pick an account that is both supervised and set up for YouTube Kids, "your kid will get the supervised account." It does not say whether your handpicked list carries over, so open the TV yourself and check what plays.
Signed-out use has no profile
Child profiles need a signed-in parent, and Google notes you can also use YouTube Kids without signing in at all. Blocks work the same way: content you blocked while signed in becomes available again after you sign out.
Videos you share still get in
Whichever content setting you pick, anything you share with your child from YouTube is also available in YouTube Kids. That is handy, but every shared clip adds to what your child can watch.
Ads are not covered
YouTube Kids says it shows limited paid ads so it can be free. Google does not say that Approve content yourself turns them off. YouTube Premium removes paid ads in YouTube Kids.
Sources: YouTube Kids Help: Watch YouTube Kids on your TV; YouTube Kids Help: Parental controls for YouTube Kids profiles; YouTube Kids Help: Important info for parents about YouTube Kids; YouTube Kids Help: Block & share content on YouTube Kids
If you have not switched profiles yet and only need to remove one bad video or channel, our guide on keeping scary videos off YouTube Kids walks through blocking and reporting.
For parents in Australia
Under Australia's social media minimum age law, YouTube has stopped under-16s signing in to regular YouTube since 10 December 2025, and that includes supervised pre-teen and teen accounts. YouTube Kids is not on eSafety's age-restricted list for now, so Approve content yourself is still one of the main built-in controls Australian parents can use. eSafety can reassess services, so check our guide to Australia's under-16 YouTube ban for the current position.
If you want something with no YouTube at all, the ABC Kids app is free and its FAQ says there are no adverts or in-app purchases, though it does include promotions for ABC shows. It is geo-blocked to Australia, so shows will not play overseas (ABC Kids app FAQ). Our public broadcaster apps by country list covers the US, UK and Canada too.
When a separate allowlist player fits better
Approve content yourself costs nothing. If it covers the devices your child uses, it may be all you need. If the gaps above are the problem, a player that only knows your list is the other route. We make Kivvie, a whitelist-only YouTube player for kids, so weigh this section with that in mind.
- Your child sees only the channels and playlist videos you chose in the parent dashboard. There is no search across all of YouTube and no recommendation feed.
- There's no autoplay: when a video ends, nothing else plays. Suggested videos can't be tapped.
- It runs on iPhone, Android, and Android TV / Google TV. Other TV brands still rely on their own YouTube controls.
- Kivvie adds no ads of its own. YouTube may show its own ads on some videos.
Where YouTube Kids does better: it costs nothing, its collections make a first list quick to build, and it reaches more TVs through the regular YouTube app. For a side-by-side look, read YouTube Kids vs Kivvie, or see how to build a YouTube channel whitelist.
FAQ
Is Approved Content Only still in YouTube Kids?
Yes. The app now labels it Approve content yourself, next to the Preschool, Younger and Older settings. Your child can only watch the videos, channels and collections you handpicked.
Can my child search with Approved Content Only on?
No. Google's help page says that in this setting your child can't search for any videos in YouTube Kids. Recommended videos are drawn from the content you approved.
Can I turn it on from the main YouTube app?
No. You can change other content settings from Family Center in the YouTube app, but Google says you have to use the YouTube Kids app to switch to Approve content yourself.
Does Approved Content Only work on a TV?
Google's TV help page says your child enters YouTube Kids through a kid's profile in the YouTube app, and that an account that is both supervised and set up for YouTube Kids gets the supervised account. It does not say whether your approved list carries over. Check on your own TV before you rely on it.
Does Approved Content Only remove ads?
Google does not say it does. YouTube Kids shows limited paid ads so it can be free, and YouTube Premium removes them.
Is YouTube Kids banned in Australia?
No. eSafety lists YouTube Kids among services it does not currently consider age-restricted, so Approve content yourself still works for Australian families. Signing in to regular YouTube is a different story for under-16s. Our guide to Australia's under-16 YouTube ban covers the details.
Want YouTube that plays only the videos you chose?
Kivvie plays only the channels and videos you chose, with no recommendation feed and no autoplay.
See how Kivvie worksWant to try the whitelist approach?
Kivvie takes about 2 minutes to set up. You pick the channels, your kids see nothing else.
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