Google’s YouTube Kids app has long served as a child-friendly companion to the main YouTube platform on various smart TV systems such as Android TV/Google TV, Apple TV (tvOS), Samsung TV (Tizen), LG TV (WebOS), and Fire TV (Fire OS). With a goal to streamline the viewing experience, YouTube integrated the Kids feature within its main app on these platforms starting May 2023.
Starting from July 2024, Google is officially retiring the standalone YouTube Kids app from smart TVs. This transition mandates that users access YouTube Kids content exclusively through the main YouTube app. The standalone YouTube Kids icon will no longer be present on smart TVs. This change does not affect the availability of YouTube Kids on Android devices, where it will remain as a standalone application.
For those looking to switch to the new YouTube Kids experience on their smart TVs, setting up a YouTube Kids profile is the first step. Upon relaunching the YouTube app, users will be greeted with the ‘Who’s Watching’ screen. From there, selecting the child’s profile will direct them to the YouTube Kids interface. Should the app start with a different account, one can easily switch profiles by clicking the profile icon in the upper-left corner of the screen and choosing their kid’s profile.
The revamped approach is expected to ensure a safer environment for kids to explore YouTube content while providing parents with the convenience of managing it all within a single application. With the embedded version of YouTube Kids, families can look forward to a simplified and secure video-streaming experience on their smart TVs.
