YouTube’s comments section has often been criticized for its negative content, particularly concerning children’s safety. However, YouTube is taking steps to address this issue by introducing a “read-only” comments option for children in supervised browsing sessions. The company notified parents supervising their child’s account via email about this upcoming feature, which is set to roll out in the “coming weeks,” according to YouTube.
This adjustment represents one of the significant changes to YouTube’s parental control features since the implementation of enhanced safeguards for minors in 2021, prompted by legislative pressure.
Previously, comments were entirely disabled for children, meaning they couldn’t read or post comments. However, YouTube had previously stated its intention to collaborate with parents and experts to incorporate age-appropriate commenting options for older children in the future.
The latest update applies to two out of three content settings available to parents seeking to customize a safer YouTube experience for their children: “Explore More” and “Most of YouTube.”
The “Explore More” setting enables children to discover videos with content ratings suitable for viewers aged 13 and above, while “Most of YouTube” grants older children access to the majority of YouTube’s content, excluding videos restricted for adult viewers only.
As a default setting, children will now have the ability to view comments but will be unable to post them under both “Explore More” and “Most of YouTube” content modes. Additionally, live chat functionality will be disabled.
Parents who opt to fully deactivate comments can transition their child’s account to the “Explore” setting, tailored for viewers aged 9 and older. Typically, this option serves as a transitional step from the YouTube Kids app to the main YouTube experience for younger children.
Parents can access and modify their child’s settings through the parental settings on YouTube or via Google’s Family Link parental controls app. They also have the option to monitor their child’s viewing history directly on the child’s device through the My Activity setting.
It’s important to note that the YouTube settings configured by parents will not extend to instances where the child is accessing embedded YouTube content on third-party websites.
While congressional pressure has long urged tech companies to enhance safeguards for children using their services, legislative efforts have been sluggish in translating demands into new laws. However, initiatives like the Kids Online Safety Act and COPPA 2.0 have garnered bipartisan support, pushing for stronger parental controls and increased privacy protections for children and teens.
YouTube is proactively implementing these new protections by default, anticipating potential regulatory changes to its parental control platform.
Following the introduction of parental controls in 2021, YouTube introduced several product updates aimed at enhancing safety for teenagers in November 2023. These updates included restrictions on repetitive viewing of certain topics and revamped “take a break” and “bedtime” reminders, among other features.
Although the changes were communicated to parents via email, the company has yet to issue a public announcement on its blog regarding the introduction of read-only comments. Requests for further clarification from YouTube have not been responded to at this time.
