Making it easier for today’s tech savvy kids to find videos on topics they want to explore, popular online video community YouTube on Wednesday launched “YouTube Kids” — a huge library of learning content for children — in India. “YouTube Kids comes to India at a great time for millions of Indian families, as it provides children access to content that will enrich thier lives and create new opportunities for learning,” Malik Ducard, YouTube’s Global Head of Family and Learning, said in a statement.
“India already has a very diverse and rapidly-growing creator base for kids and learning, with content in this category growing 100 per cent year over year,” Ducard added. The standalone, kid-friendly and mobile-first app is available on Google Play and App Store from Wednesday. With its playful design, large images and bold icons, YouTube Kids makes it easier for the children to find and navigate through videos like “Little Krishna” or one of the popular videos from “ChuChuTV”.
The voice search to let children find videos when they cannot type or spell a word correctly makes the app more kid-friendly. Indian kids are consuming the content from local as well as international creators, said Aman Dayal, Content Partnership Manager YouTube Kids and Learning, India and South East Asia. “Indian creators are exporting large amount of content as well. There is a uniformity in the consumption as a lot of content created in India is watched outside and a lot of content created outside is consumed in India,” Dayal told IANS.
Many top Indian YouTube Kids and learning creators will be adding new shows exclusive to the YouTube platform on the occasion of the launch, YouTube said. These include new learning shows from “ChuChuTV” and “Kids TV”, a new season of “Cat and Keet”, a popular chase comedy show by Toonz Animation, the “Gummy Bear” song in Hindi and a new season of “Appu – The Yogic Elephant”.
The service also offers parental control option. Parents can broaden or restrict their kids search — turn “on” to access millions of family-friendly videos or turn “off” to restrict their experience. Parents can also limit their kids’ screen time by setting a built-in timer. They can also put in password, restrict certain content and access settings in the app. The YouTube Kids content can also be watched on big screen using Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smart TV.