Seems like Viacom 18’s OTT platform VOOT which had been the only platform in the market offering kids content on-the-go just got a competition as YouTube announced the launch of YouTube Kids in India, an app designed keeping children and parents in mind.
The official YouTube Kids app is designed for curious little minds and is a simple app where kids can browse channels and playlists in four categories – Music, Shows, Learning and Explore. The free app is now available on Google Play and Apple App store in India. YouTube Kids app has larger images and bold icons making it easier for little thumbs to navigate through the content; along with voice search functionality.
“YouTube Kids is our first step in reimagining YouTube for families, an experience that gives you a world of video in your pockets, and a world of possibility and knowledge at your fingertips. 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,” says YouTube’s Global Head of Family and Learning, Malik Ducard.
“YouTube Kids comes to India at a great time for millions of Indian families, as it provides children access to content that will enrich their lives and create new opportunities for learning. It also provides the perfect platform to showcase India’s incredibly vibrant, growing community of content creators, from animation studios to edutubers.”
These include new learning shows from ChuChuTV and Kids TV, a new season of “Cat & Keet”, a popular chase comedy show by Toonz Animation, the song in Hindi, and a new season of Appu – The Yogic Elephant. Along with these there’s Shaktiman, Vir Ek Rakshak – Movie, Sri Krishna, Galli Galli Sim Sim songs, HooplaKidz and much more.
Sesame Workshop India, MD, Sashwati Banerjee mentions, “We are thrilled to reach out to our young audience through a contemporary and popular platform like YouTube. Our content engages and entertains kids in the preschool years helping them grow smarter, stronger and kinder. Kids can now watch their favorite muppets – Elmo, Chamki, Grover and others on the application when they want, where they want. At Sesame India we believe in the power of engaging parents and caregivers with strategies and language around dealing with child-centric issues. We have recently launched a series of webisodes for parents hosted by the popular Bollywood actor, Twinkle Khanna on topics like self-confidence, bullying, resolving conflict, consent and much more which will also be available on the YouTube Kids’ application. We believe this synergized effort will expand our outreach and help build new practices for children’s learning.”
There are parental control features also available on the YouTube Kids app wherein there’s search settings that allow parents to decide the search parameters, a timer to limit kids screen time by sounding an alert, sound settings, passcode and restriction control on certain content is also possible. There’s also the cast feature that allows support for Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smart TV.