Parents will be able to restrict Shorts, adjust content settings, and manage their children’s access to YouTube.
Dubai: YouTube has rolled out supervised kid accounts across the Middle East and North Africa, including the UAE, allowing parents greater control over what their children watch on the main YouTube app.
The new accounts are intended for families who believe their child is ready to transition beyond YouTube Kids but still require safeguards, privacy protections, and viewing limits.
Parents can select from three content settings, set daily limits for Shorts, disable Shorts entirely, and manage their child’s experience through YouTube’s Family Center or Google Family Link.
Parents get more control
Supervised kid accounts are optional and can be disabled by parents at any time. YouTube said the feature is designed to let children access the wider platform while maintaining age-appropriate safeguards.
The three content settings include Explore, Explore More, and Most of YouTube. Explore focuses on educational content such as tutorials, arts and crafts, and dance videos. Explore More adds categories like gaming and live streams, while Most of YouTube provides access to nearly all videos except those rated 18+ or deemed unsuitable for supervised accounts.
The feature also allows parents to manage short-form video viewing. YouTube said the new Shorts feed timer is an industry-first tool that enables parents to set daily limits for scrolling Shorts. Parents can also set the timer to zero, effectively disabling Shorts scrolling entirely, including during periods such as exam season.
Built-in safeguards
Supervised accounts include protections that are enabled by default for users under 18, such as Take a Break and Bedtime reminders to promote healthier viewing habits.
YouTube will also restrict certain features on supervised kid accounts, including the ability to create content or post comments. Personalised ad targeting will be disabled, and autoplay will not be turned on by default.
The new kid accounts join supervised teen accounts already available in the region. Teen accounts allow parents and teenagers to link accounts, receive email notifications when a teenager uploads a video or starts a live stream, and view shared insights into channel activity.
“It’s essential that we protect young people in—not from—the digital world,” said Garth Graham, Head of Health at YouTube. “Thoughtful safeguards like kid and teen accounts help us continue to give young people a place to learn and explore, while ensuring the right tools and boundaries are in place to keep them safe and give families a choice.”
How families can set it up
Parents can create supervised kid accounts via the Family Center in the YouTube app or through the website menu. The accounts can also be set up using the Google Family Link app.
The feature will be rolled out gradually to families across MENA and Türkiye starting July 2. Countries where supervised kid accounts are now available include Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Iraq.
YouTube said the new accounts are part of its broader family safety efforts, which also include YouTube Kids, a separate app offering a curated library of age-appropriate videos, and Google Family Link, which enables parents to manage app usage, filter content, and set digital boundaries.
