YouTube introduces new supervised accounts to enhance children’s online safety in MENA

YouTube has launched supervised kid accounts across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including the United Arab Emirates, expanding its family safety features as governments across the region place greater emphasis on protecting children online.

The new accounts provide age-appropriate experiences within the main YouTube app, combining enhanced safety, privacy, and wellbeing features with parental controls. Parents can choose whether to enable supervised accounts and can disable them at any time if they prefer their child to have unrestricted access to YouTube.

The rollout comes as the UAE implements a new legal framework governing children’s use of social media. Under the regulations, children under the age of 15 are prohibited from creating or operating personal social media accounts, while 15-year-olds may only use platforms that offer enhanced safeguards, including stronger parental controls, safer content settings, and restrictions on certain interactive features. Platforms must also implement robust age-verification systems.

Supervised kid accounts offer three content settings that broadly align with international content ratings.

The Explore setting features educational videos, tutorials, arts and crafts, and dance content. Explore More expands access to include gaming content and live streams, while Most of YouTube allows access to nearly all content, except for videos rated 18+ or considered unsuitable for supervised accounts.

Parents also have access to tools such as YouTube’s Shorts feed timer, which lets them set daily viewing limits or disable short-form scrolling altogether.

All supervised kid accounts include safety features enabled by default, such as “Take a Break” and “Bedtime” reminders to encourage healthier viewing habits. Uploading videos, posting comments, and personalized advertising are disabled, while autoplay is turned off by default.

The new accounts complement YouTube’s existing supervised teen accounts, which allow teenagers to access most of the platform while giving parents the option to link accounts, receive upload notifications, and view insights into their child’s channel activity.

Javid Aslanov, Head of YouTube Middle East and North Africa, said the company continues to invest in tools that prioritize family wellbeing. He cited Kantar research showing that 95% of viewers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE believe YouTube offers leading educational content, while 92% of Gen Z respondents said the platform has helped them develop new skills.

Garth Graham, Head of Health at YouTube, said the supervised accounts are designed to help young people learn and explore online while giving families greater control over safety and digital wellbeing.

The launch builds on YouTube’s broader family safety ecosystem, which includes the YouTube Kids app and Google Family Link parental controls. The company said it will continue investing in tools that support the safety, privacy, and well-being of younger users.