YouTube to launch a kid-friendly app

Google has recently announced that the most popular video streaming website, YouTube, will be launching a new version of its service aimed at youngsters using its Android devices.

The free service, dubbed “YouTube Kids”, debuts on Google Play on Monday (23 February). It will sport a more child-friendly design to the original YouTube app, using big icons and fonts alongside larger tiles and images from popular kids’ shows.

The app has a kid-friendly design with big, bulbous icons and minimal scrolling. Its home screen has large tiles featuring images from popular TV shows and four simple icons — shows, music, learning, and explore, which will let kids browse through top videos. Families can also search through the app's list of approved content, including videos created by National Geographic Kids, Thomas & Friends, LeVar Burton's Reading Rainbow, and the puppet masters at the Jim Henson Company.

While the app will have ads, YouTube is limiting which ads make it into the app. YouTube's policy team will need to approve any ads to ensure they are family friendly. And people won't be able to click on the ads to navigate to an advertiser's website.