Update (Feb. 24): YouTube Kids is only available to users in the U.S. Google has not yet announced plans for the app in Canada.
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TORONTO – YouTube is releasing a free Android app geared towards its youngest users next week, in an effort to provide parents with a safe platform for kids.
The app – dubbed YouTube Kids – will feature content from popular kids shows, including “Thomas the Tank Engine” and “Yo Gabba Gabba,” and will have a kid-oriented design with larger graphics and less visual distractions.
READ MORE: Can children become addicted to technology?
According to USA Today, who first reported on the app, YouTube Kids will also include voice search capabilities for children who are too young to type. However, kids won’t be able to search for terms like “sex.”
“Parents were constantly asking us, ‘Can you make YouTube a better place for our kids?'” Shimrit Ben-Yair, the project’s group product manager told USA Today.
The app will also feature parental controls – including the ability to set a timer limiting the amount of screen time the child has on the app.
READ MORE: Top apps that give parents control over kids screen time
According to Dr. Shimi Kang, a Vancouver-based psychiatrist and parenting author, it’s recommended that kids under the age of 18 should only have two hours of screen time outside of educational purposes.
YouTube Kids will be available for download Monday.
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