YouTube Made for Kids rules, explained simply

Not legal advice. This is a plain-English summary for creators. For your own situation, talk to a lawyer.

When is a video Made for Kids?

YouTube looks at the whole picture (YouTube’s guidance). Signs that content is made for kids include:

• Children are the intended or actual audience.
• Kid-focused subjects, like preschool learning.
• Characters, toys or games that appeal to children, and simple language.
• Songs, stories or poems for children.
• Child actors or models.

If kids are one of several audiences, it can still count. YouTube is clear: don't rely on its systems to set your audience for you. You are responsible for choosing correctly.

What gets switched off

On Made for Kids content, YouTube turns off (full list):

• Personalised ads (contextual ads can still run)
• Comments, the notification bell and live chat
• End screens, cards and video watermarks
• Channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks, merch and Shopping
• Saving to playlists and Watch Later, and the Miniplayer

COPPA in two minutes

COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, is a US law about collecting personal information from children under 13. In 2019 Google and YouTube agreed to pay $170 million to settle FTC and New York claims about data collected from children on child-directed channels, and the Made for Kids setting came out of that settlement (FTC announcement).

The FTC’s COPPA FAQ says a channel owner whose content is directed at kids can be treated as an "operator" if personal information, such as identifiers used for targeted ads, is collected on their behalf. Civil penalties can be very large, and are counted per violation. An updated COPPA rule is now fully in force. The practical takeaway: set your audience honestly and don't add data collection, such as sign-up forms or tracking links, aimed at children.

AI and kids content

• Disclosure: YouTube asks you to label AI content that looks realistic. Clearly animated, fantastical content is usually exempt, but ticking the altered or synthetic content box is an easy safe habit (rules).
• Inauthentic content: mass-produced, templated or near-identical videos can lose monetisation (policy).
• Child safety: family-friendly-looking cartoons with adult themes, violence or scary content are prohibited (policy). Review every AI frame.

Pre-upload checklist

• Audience set to Made for Kids (channel and video).
• Title, thumbnail and description match what's in the video.
• No famous characters or brands you don't own.
• No asking children to buy, subscribe, comment or visit a website.
• No links or forms that collect children's information.
• Every frame watched by a grown-up: no strange AI pictures, nothing scary.
• No rapid flashing or loud sudden sounds.
• Music is yours, licensed, or from YouTube's Audio Library.
• Altered or synthetic content box ticked if AI made anything realistic.
• The video has its own story or purpose, not a copy of the last one.

Outside the US

If you're in the UK or EU, most online-safety and data duties sit with the platform, but the same rule applies: set your audience honestly. If you run your own website, newsletter or app, local privacy laws such as GDPR and the UK Children's Code can apply to you directly.

Toddlecast is not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube. This guide is general information, not legal, financial or medical advice. Rules change; check the linked official pages.