App dossier · Video
YouTube
Developer: Google
- US App Store rating13+
- Google Play ratingTeen
Long videos, Shorts, music and livestreams. A teen may learn a skill, follow a creator or move from one recommendation to the next. Watching without posting differs from running a channel, commenting or joining a live chat.
Official store icon identified from the store listing artwork (opens in new tab). Icon is shown to identify the app; trademark belongs to Google.
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The essentials
Age, contact, spending
Minimum age
An independent Google account generally requires 13 or the local applicable age. Younger children can have parent-managed supervised experiences; teen supervision is a separate setup.
Age check
Google account age information and age-verification processes affect access. A supervised child account is not the same as a teen’s independent channel.
Who can contact teens
Comments, live chats and public channel activity can create interactions with other viewers. Do not assume an audience member is known because they share a favorite creator.
Disappearing content
Ordinary uploads and comments remain until deleted or otherwise removed. Livestreams may be replayed, clipped or captured.
Public content
Public uploads can reach anyone. Review public, unlisted and private visibility: an unlisted link can still be forwarded.
Spending
Premium subscriptions, channel memberships and eligible live purchases can recur or encourage impulse spending. Creator merchandise usually goes to an external checkout.
Store stats
By the numbers
US App Store
4.67 stars from 49,315,218 ratings, as of October 8, 2026. Apple listing (opens in new tab)
Google Play downloads
10B+ as of October 8, 2026. Google Play listing (opens in new tab)
Official controls
How to set them up
Choose the right supervision setup
For teens, open YouTube Settings → Family Center and link supervision by invitation. Review channel activity and notifications. For younger supervised accounts, use Family Link or Family Center content settings instead.
Official instructions → (opens in new tab)
Privacy
What gets shared
Check upload defaults, visible channel information and whether a video reveals school or routines. Viewing history also shapes recommendations.
Safety
What parents should know
- YouTube’s official guidance has different controls for supervised children and teens; do not promise the child filter applies to an ordinary teen account.
- Review a creator’s full videos and live content, not only a clean short clip or thumbnail.
Safeguards described here are reported by the company in its own materials (see YouTube: official safety, eligibility or parent guidance (opens in new tab)). They are not independent safety guarantees, and Lowkey has not tested them.
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Get the free weekly briefing.
One email a week — what you need to know about your teens world.
Your teen won’t explain it. We will.
Your email goes to Substack under its privacy policy. You may need to finish signup there. Subscribe directly on Substack.
Want more? Go paid: $9/month or $75/year.