Internet Video Safety Tips to Keep Kids

According to numerous surveys, a significant number of kids have stumbled upon adult videos online, often without trying to do so. It's a problem that many parents and education providers are all too aware of. When asked about the biggest concern teachers have for kids using the Internet, special education coordinator Rachel S. answered, "Accessing content that should not be accessed on school property, such as, inappropriate YouTube videos."

On YouTube alone 300 hours of videos are uploaded every minute. Rachel S. also notes that the growing number of Internet capable devices has made it even easier for kids to watch videos on the go wherever they are. Without proper safety precautions young eyes could see things you'd never allow them to watch on TV.

44% of parents said they worry that their child will be exposed to inappropriate content. 42% of kids say they have seen inappropriate content on the Internet.
2011 Norton Online Family Report, Netmums 2013 poll

Software Solutions for Blocking Inappropriate Videos From Young Eyes

"We have firewall protection and security on most of our student computers to prohibit them from accessing content that is inappropriate for school," said Rachel S. Specialized software is a great place to start, and today there are a lot of options. Some of the top software programs that can help you control and monitor what kids watch online include:

  • Shield Genie
  • Safe Eyes Parental Control Software from McAfee
  • Norton Family
  • Kidlogger
  • K9 Web Protection
  • Windows Live Family Safety

Ways to Make YouTube Kid-Friendly

YouTube is without a doubt the biggest video content publisher online. Chances are good that this is where your kids will see most videos online. YouTube is actually a wonderful resource for exposing kids to new things and places, but there's a downside. Because the massive amount of content is user-monitored, there is the possibility for extremely inappropriate videos to get past the filters.

Watching YouTube with your kids is one effective way to make sure they aren't exposed to inappropriate videos. Fortunately, there are other ways to customize the YouTube experience to head off violent or explicit video content when you aren't around to monitor things.

  • Enable the YouTube safety mode on all devices used by kids.
  • Use a third party app like Hometube on your mobile devices for better control over the types of YouTube videos that can be viewed.
  • Use YouTube Center to control the ads seen on shared accounts.
  • Download the Hide YouTube Comments app to remove YouTube comments.
  • Block YouTube channels that you feel are inappropriate.

One Setting That Makes Every Search Safer and More Secure

Now that Google search results include videos and images, it's highly beneficial to enable the Google Safe Search setting so that inappropriate videos don't end up in the results list. This one step can keep inappropriate videos out of site each time your kid does a search.

More Noteworthy Internet Video Safety Tips for Kids

  • Create a playlist for your kids so they have a steady stream of safe videos to watch.
  • Block YouTube and allow kids to view videos on Kideos instead.
  • Search for apps that can be added to block what is accessed and seen on mobile devices. A quick search will bring up many options like Net Nanny.
  • Use the browser settings to control the type of content that is viewable.

Additional Resources: Internet Safety Videos for Kids

Here are a few of our top Internet safety videos for kids as well as a few other resources. Make these mandatory viewing so your kids are better protected online.