Online safety tips for families from Google and Common Sense Media:  Have your teenagers make playlists of their favorite videos, while you make your own. Then sit down to watch them together. You can see what your teens are watching, and they might learn a thing or two about you. Take your teens on a stroll through your own TV-watching childhood by compiling a playlist of clips from your favorite shows. Anyone remember H.R. Pufnstuf? Make watching YouTube a game: Guess what kinds of videos are popular in a particular place and then use Advanced Search to see videos only in that location. It's a great way to have a conversation with your teens about cultural assumptions, tastes, similarities, and differences. |
We encourage teens to speak with a trusted adult if they have concerns about something happening on the site. Keeping an open line of communication is critical to ensuring that your teen stays safe online.
- How old does my child have to be to use YouTube?
In order to create a YouTube account, we require users to confirm that they are at least 13 yrs old. Users who enter any age younger than 13 will be prohibited from creating YouTube accounts. In addition, if a user's video gets flagged and, upon review, we determine that the user has inaccurately stated their age during the account creation process, we will suspend their account. - What do I do if I come across inappropriate content on YouTube?
If you see a video or comment that violates our Community Guidelines - How do I file a privacy or harassment claim on behalf of my child?
The first step is to go to our Safety Center and review the safety information that relates to your issue. Next, go to our Help & Safety Tool to report a privacy violation or user harassment. The Help & Safety Tool also allows you to delete harassing comments on videos owned by you or your teen, as well as to block other users. - My child is being harassed through their account on YouTube. What do I do?
As a first step, block the user. This will help prevent further communication from the unwanted user. If the harassment persists, please review the harassment page within our Safety Center for harassment prevention information and report the harassment via our Help & Safety Tool. - How can I remove profile information from my child's profile?
Start by talking to your teen. Engaging in a dialogue with them about what they are posting can help teens to better understand what content is and is not appropriate to post online. Every account has profile editing controls in the "Account" link in the top right-hand corner. For more information about talking with teens about online privacy, check out Common Sense Media's online resource. - How can I see what my children are watching on YouTube?
There are a couple of ways to check in to see what content your children are viewing. The first is to take a look at their viewing history. Instructions are below:- To see your viewing history, visit your account page (via the Account link located at the top-right of every page)
- Click the History link from within the "My Videos" section.
NOTE: If you don't see any videos in their viewing history, it's possible that they've removed what they've viewed by clicking the "Clear Viewing History" button located on the History page.
Another thing you can do is check out your child's favorites and which YouTube channels they are subscribed to. These can give you clues about what they are watching on the site.
- How can I control what comments or content my children see?
Our "Hide Objectionable Words" feature is one option. It helps block profanity, sexually suggestive language, and racial slurs for those users who prefer not to see them. Users can opt into this feature by clicking on "Options" next to the Comments header and checking the "Hide Objectionable Words" box. Users can also choose to hide comments altogether by clicking on "Hide Comments." Your preferences will remain in place until you change them on your browser. - Can you remove my child's channel from YouTube?
As a first step, speak with your teen directly about editing or removing videos, comments, or profile information that you feel is inappropriate. This is usually the easiest and fastest way to address inappropriate content posted by your child. Talking with your child can also give you the opportunity to learn more about his or her interactions on YouTube. If you would still like our assistance in removing your child's account, fax proof of guardianship (birth certificate or other identification that proves guardianship) to YouTube using the following fax number: +1 650-253-0001.
