YouTube Safety Checklist for Parents and Schools
A printable checklist for setting up safer YouTube access at home or school, with practical checks for accounts, content, devices, and routines.
Use this checklist when setting up YouTube for a child at home, in a classroom or on a shared device. It covers the gaps that are easy to miss when one setting looks like it has solved the whole problem.
Keep a copy with the device plan
Print it now, or choose "Save as PDF" in your browser's print window. The printed version removes navigation and promotional sections.
Setup record
Child, class or group:
Device:
Completed by:
Next review date:
Check 1 of 5
Choose what the child can open
Start with the viewing route. A limit inside one app does not cover another browser, account or device.
- Decide whether the child will use YouTube Kids, a supervised YouTube account, or a parent-approved channel list.
- Write down which account and app the child should use at home or school.
- Remove old shortcuts and sign out of accounts that bypass the chosen setup.
- Test the exact path the child will take, including links opened from messages, search results and schoolwork.
Check 2 of 5
Set the content boundary
Be specific about what is allowed. "Child-friendly" means different things to different families and classrooms.
- Choose approved channels, videos or topics before handing over the device.
- Check several recent uploads from each channel instead of judging it by the channel name or thumbnail.
- Decide whether Shorts, live streams, comments and external links are allowed.
- Keep a simple way for a child or teacher to request a new channel without approving it on the spot.
Check 3 of 5
Close the easy workarounds
Children often find a gap by accident. Check the obvious routes before treating the setup as finished.
- Review guest mode, private browsing, alternate browsers and the regular YouTube app.
- Require adult approval for new apps, account changes and device-setting changes.
- Check whether casting, smart TVs or shared computers use the same restrictions.
- For school devices, confirm what changes when the device leaves the school network.
Check 4 of 5
Agree on a viewing routine
Technical controls work better when the child knows what will happen before, during and after viewing.
- Set a clear start and stop point that makes sense for the child's age and day.
- Keep younger children in a shared space where an adult can check in without hovering.
- Turn off autoplay and non-essential notifications where the chosen service allows it.
- Tell the child what to do if a video feels strange, scary or embarrassing: stop, close it and ask an adult.
Check 5 of 5
Review the setup
Apps change, children grow and approved channels change direction. Put the next review on the calendar.
- Test the child experience after app, browser or operating-system updates.
- Review approved channels and remove anything the child has outgrown or no longer watches.
- Ask what is working and where the rules feel confusing at home or school.
- Repeat this checklist after adding a device, changing accounts or moving to a new classroom.
When something slips through
Stay calm, close the content and check how it appeared. Was it a recommendation, a shared link, another account or a different app? Fix that route, then explain the change to the child in plain language. If the content may be illegal or a child is at risk, follow your organisation's safeguarding process or use the reporting guidance from your country's online-safety authority.
Free to print and share
Schools, clinicians and parent groups may print this checklist or share the original link. Please keep the Kivvie source line so recipients can find the current version.
Source: kivvie.app/research/youtube-safety-checklist-for-parents-and-schools
Want the figures behind the checklist? See the YouTube statistics for kids and teens.
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