YouTube releases app for kids

Most analysts saw this coming and it was really a long time coming. According to Shimrit Ben-Yair, Group Product Manager at YouTube Kids, the new app has been in development over the past year, and follows 200% year-over-year growth in the family entertainment sector on YouTube, she says. This initiative has been given a warm reception mostly by US residents who would be the first to have access to this new app. Don’t frown just yet, if you have an iPhone registered in the US app store  while you live outside the US currently for example , you should be able to see this app in your store. As for when this may be launched in other countries,  we do not not know that for now but we’ll be sure to bring this to you as soon as we hear something.

Bright and playful design
Your 4-year-old may already be a swiping expert, but the app’s design makes it even easier to find Pocoyo or the latest episode of Sesame Street’s The Furchester Hotel. With larger images, bold icons and more, it’s fast and simple for little thumbs to navigate. And we’ve built in voice search so that even if your child can’t spell or type, they can still find videos of things they’re curious about.

Family-focused content
For years, families have come to YouTube, watching countless hours of videos on all kinds of topics. Now, parents can rest a little easier knowing that videos in the YouTube Kids app are narrowed down to content appropriate for kids. You can browse channels and playlists in four categories: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore. Or search for videos of particular interest to your family, like how to build a model volcano, math tutorials, the amazing (and endless) world of trains—and everything in between.

Along with favorites from DreamWorksTV, Jim Henson TV, Mother Goose Club, Talking Tom and Friends and more, your kids can watch new series from YouTube channels they already like. Discover new facts aboutdinosaurs from National Geographic Kids; learn about technology from Reading Rainbow; or watch Thomas the Tank Engine leave the world of Sodor for the first time in 70 years to travel the globe. Plus, more new videos are coming soon from beloved YouTubers like John and Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers and Stampylonghead.

You can read more on this story from the YouTube blog