In a move to enhance child safety online, YouTube is rolling out a new “read-only” comments feature for children accessing supervised experiences on the platform.
This update aims to shield kids from potentially inappropriate content in the comments section.
Previously, comments were entirely disabled for kids, but now they will have the ability to read comments without the option to write them.
This feature will apply to the “Explore More” and “Most of YouTube” content settings, which cater to older children.
Parents can exercise further control by switching their child to the “Explore” setting, which completely disables comments.
YouTube offers parents the ability to manage their child’s settings through the parent settings on YouTube or via Google’s Family Link parental controls app.
The proactive implementation of these changes comes amidst mounting pressure from Congress and pending legislation, including the Kids Online Safety Act and COPPA 2.0.
YouTube has been consistently updating its parental control features since their inception in 2021, with recent updates in November 2023 focusing on teen safety.
While these changes have been communicated to parents via email, YouTube has yet to make a public announcement on its blog regarding this update.
