Video hosting YouTube expands parental control options by adding the ability to connect a teen's account to a parent's account. The latter will be able to get an idea of ​​the child's activity on the platform.

After connecting the accounts, parents will receive notifications about the number of downloads, subscriptions and comments, but not about the actual content of the watched video. They will also receive notifications about new video uploads or live broadcasts.

In addition, parents will be able to tell YouTube the real age of the child through it. The platform takes into account the user's age, which he himself indicated during registration.

Parents will see notifications when new videos are uploaded to YouTube and YouTube Shorts, even if they are not published or hidden by privacy settings. They will also be able to track changes to video privacy settings.

YouTube introduced parental control back in 2021. The option allows parents to restrict children's access to certain content through a "supervised" Google Account. At the time, the company set the threshold at 13, but promised to expand coverage to older age groups.

YouTube says new rules for parents and teens will go into effect in the US this week. Parents will be able to link children's accounts to their account through the Family Center section of the app. Google Family Link parental controls will also offer parents these new controls from within the app. The option will be available worldwide in a few weeks.

Parents will also get access to tips and resources developed in partnership with the Common Sense Network to help teach teens to create responsible content.

Other platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, have also introduced parental controls.