(Web Desk) - YouTube is enhancing its parental control options with a new feature that allows parents to link their accounts to their teen’s YouTube profile, the company announced on Wednesday.
This new capability will provide parents with insights into their teen’s activity on the platform, including the number of uploads, subscriptions, and comments, though it will not disclose the content of those activities.
Parents will also receive email notifications about significant events such as new uploads or livestreams.
According to YouTube, linking accounts will not affect the algorithmic recommendations for the teen’s profile. The content shown to teens remains personalised based on their individual activity.
Parents will not be able to update their child’s age through this feature; YouTube will continue to use the age entered by the teen during account creation.
The new controls will alert parents to new uploads, including private and unlisted videos, and any changes in video privacy settings.
This update builds on YouTube’s 2021 initiative, which introduced supervised accounts for younger users, with plans to extend these features to older age groups.
The move aligns with growing regulatory pressures and laws, such as those in Utah and Arkansas, which restrict social media use by minors without parental consent.
Other social media platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, have previously implemented similar parental controls.
While YouTube may not be viewed as a traditional social app, it does offer social features like user profiles, creator follow options, and comment sections.
The new parental controls will start rolling out to users this week, accessible through YouTube’s Family Center hub and Google’s Family Link app.
The rollout will continue over the coming weeks globally. Parents will also have access to guidance resources created with Common Sense Networks to help them manage their teen’s content creation responsibly.
YouTube’s family-focused products, including YouTube Kids and supervised experiences, currently serve over 100 million active users monthly.