YouTube Kids launches in MENA

YouTube is launching its child-friendly app, YouTube Kids, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The free app will be available on smartphones and tablets for children under the age of 13.

Created in 2015, the stand-alone app is now available in 86 countries including 15 in the MENA region.

“Parents are always looking for family friendly experiences to help nurture their children’s curiosity. YouTube Kids was built with families in mind,” Tarek Abdalla, Google’s regional marketing director for the MENA region, told Arab News.

“The app offers diverse content and a range of parental controls so that every family can customize their experience based on their preferences and interests,” he said.

It allows parents to create up to eight profiles for their children, which means those with more than one child can have separate profiles for each based on their age and interests.

There are controls that enable content choices, provide the ability to block specific channels or content, allow for the switching off of the app’s search option, the setting of a screen timer, and a checking system to see what kids have watched.

Videos available on YouTube Kids are determined by a mix of algorithmic filtering, user input, and reviews, the company said. Its policies regarding content on the platform are developed based on feedback from parents and experts.

The MENA edition of the app will host content from local producers in Arabic. In the UAE, for instance, YouTube Kids will feature content by Mansour and Learn with Zakariya; El-Schoola, Zakrly Araby, and Nafham, in Egypt; Anasheed El-Rawda, and Katakit TV, in Saudi Arabia; Jana’s World, Wansah TV, Karameesh, and Kiwi TV, in Jordan; Master English, in Lebanon; and Ahlan Simsim throughout the MENA region.

It will also feature content for children from TV channels including Spacetoon, MBC 3, and Majid TV.