YouTube Launching New Kid-Friendly App With Original Episodes Of Popular Children’s Shows

YouTube Kids is expected to launch on Monday.

YouTube, long geared toward people ages 13 and over, plans to cater to an even younger crowd with an upcoming kid’s app that will provide original episodes of popular children’s show like Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the new online video service, which will run on smartphones and tablets, is expected to be released on Monday during the Kidscreen Summit.

The YouTube Kids app is free for download and will be separate from the current YouTube mobile app, people familiar with the product tell the WSJ.

YouTube Kids – only available on Android-based phones and tablets for the time-being – will feature a kid-friendly design, with only a few large, colorful icons and minimal scrolling.

Parents can monitor and limit the time their children spend on the app through built-in parental controls.

Those with knowledge of the app tell the WSJ that it will feature a number of new episodes of shows that have long been geared toward preschool-aged children such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Mother Goose Club, Talking Tom & Friends, Pocoyo and others, as well as, YouTube produced original content.

In order to offer the app for children, Google-owned YouTube must comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires websites that cater to children to notify parents if they collect personal information.

The WSJ reports that it is unclear where or how the new app will generate revenue, but that it is possible the company opens the app to kid-focused ads.

A Google spokesperson declined to provide comment to the WSJ regarding the app.

YouTube to Release New App for Kids [The Wall Street Journal]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist