YouTube debuts new parental controls aimed at teens

YouTube is enhancing its parental controls by introducing a feature that allows parents to link their accounts to their teens' accounts. This new functionality will provide parents with insights into their teens' activities on the platform, such as uploads, subscriptions, and comments, while ensuring that the content itself remains private. Notifications will be sent to parents regarding new uploads and changes in video privacy settings, fostering a more informed approach to monitoring their teens' online presence. The initiative builds on previous parental controls introduced in 2021, which aimed to create supervised accounts for younger users. This expansion reflects a growing trend among tech companies to align with regulations concerning minors' use of social media. In the U.S., several states have enacted laws requiring parental consent for minors under 18 to join social media platforms, although these laws are currently facing legal challenges. YouTube's new parental controls are part of a broader movement among social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, to provide parents with tools to oversee their children's online activities. The linking of accounts will not affect the personalized algorithm that curates content for teens, as YouTube maintains that the algorithm is tailored to individual users. The rollout of these features will begin this week and is expected to reach a global audience over the coming weeks. Additionally, parents will have access to resources developed in collaboration with Common Sense Networks to assist them in guiding their teens toward responsible content creation.