Hi fellow parents,I was finally motivated to actually create a reddit username to post this, so be kind - it's my first.I have been searching for months for a way to stop my daughter (4 years old) from finding useless crap on Youtube. I got the Youtube Kids app so she wouldn't run into inappropriate adult-oriented videos, but I found it overrun with useless garbage. If I had to hear her watching another toy opening/toilet candy/surprise egg/Elsa's head dancing on a CG body/grownups in Spider Man outfits video I thought I'd go crazy. I looked and looked, and of course I couldn't find a way to block specific channels because that would be less ad money for Youtube.UNTIL TODAY. Yes, this requires money. Is it worth it to me? Hell yes. Read on if you want to know how I cleaned up my Youtube Kids screen after about an hour of work.Step 1: If you don't have it, get the Youtube Kids app and install it. Train your kid to use this one. Erase the other app if you have to. This limits the videos list to worthless garbage instead of really inappropriate garbage.Step 2: Know what you want your kid to watch. You have to have some examples in mind of shows or channels you don't object to.Step 3: (This is what costs money). Sign up for Youtube Red. It's 10 bucks a month. Go into the Youtube Kids app and enable Youtube Red in the app. (bonus... I haven't used it yet but I guess you can do some cool stuff with the regular Youtube Red.)Step 4: START BLOCKING. You can hit the "..." on a search result or an open video to bring up the option to block. Your highest yield is going to be to block annoying channels first, then block individual videos you really hate.A few strategies:Search for the channels you know you hate already. For me, this was Chu Chu TV, Pink Fong, DCTC, and Bubble Pop. Search for the channel, then hit the ellipsis button on the channel search result, and (with glee) click "block channel."The void left behind after you remove your hated channels will fill with more crap right away. Open the videos you hate the most, find out what channel posted them, and then search for that channel and block it. Lather, rinse, repeat.Search for overused keywords to find more channels to block. I aimed for things like "kids TV," "baby TV," "nursery rhymes," "toys," "finger family," and "disney." Not that I don't like Disney, but if a channel is called "Disney Toyz 4U" it's getting blocked.Now you need to clear your history to stop more wretched suggestions from popping up, because after all of the searching you just did, all of your suggestions are going to stink. Like a diaper blowout. After starting solid foods. Go to the settings (under the lock icon) and clear the history.Now, search for things you like (see step 2). For me, my starter searches were "storybots," "kids learning tube," "peppa pig," "ben and holly," and "peg + cat." Click the videos you want your kid watching and CHECK THE CHANNEL NAMES. Some of the channels are harmless and have a lot of stuff you want, and some of them are crap channels that use a nice innocent-looking Peppa Pig video as bait to get their channel on your suggestions list. If the name of the channel is something like "SUPER AWESOME GAMES," search for it and check out the videos it contains. Don't be surprised when most of them are crap. If they are: BLOCK THAT CHANNEL. Do this step until most of the videos you see in the suggestions list are ones you actually want.A this point, go back and clear your history again. Then, re-search and click on a few dozen videos you WANT. This will prime your suggestions list with videos that you approve of. Go back into settings and check "Pause history." This stops the app from recording further searches or clicks into the history, which keeps the recommended list looking similar to what you originally created.Periodically return to the app and clean out the sh*tty suggestions.This is clearly not a perfect system. It costs money and requires your time. But... it is currently allowing me to do some house cleaning while my daughter explores Youtube videos that are less crappy than before.And of course... no disrespect to those who love the channels I blocked. This is my opinion, after all. It's not your fault I think your videos suck donkey balls.TL;DR: You can pay for Youtube Red to block unwanted channels and videos in the Youtube Kids app. I've got some strategies for weeding things out up there. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2gp43TC
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