Rendered at 07:40:38 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Cloudflare Workers.
RileyJames 18 hours ago [-]
I’d be in the market for this, but didn’t get enough info to sign up.
My first questions were:
- do I need a YouTube account?
- do I need a premium YouTube account?
- can I use it on my tv?
- and more generally, how does it work? (Which should answer all above)
Current solution is: download YouTube videos my son is interested in to Plex, watch them on the tv (or iPad)
I also have YouTube premium, but barely use it.
andreidbr 18 hours ago [-]
Same for me. I also download videos and put them on a USB stick plugged into the TV.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
KidScreen is not an offline or download solution like USB or Plex; it streams public videos through the embedded YouTube player. Its narrower purpose is to make the parent’s approved list the child’s default shelf.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
MostlyStable 15 hours ago [-]
YouTube Kids in theory solves all my problems, the issue is that it's garbage software where the most important features are broken. For example I recently went on a long trip and grabbed the kids tablet. Only to discover after leaving the house, that all the previously downloaded videos were gone, and all the new ones that the app had chosen from among my whitelisted channels had "failed to download", despite having been at home on the wifi for weeks, so without internet connectivity, the app had nothing at all.
As others have pointed out, the things I am looking for in a YouTube kids replacement is quite specific and detailed, and the landing page provides not an iota of evidence that I will get that.
13 hours ago [-]
fy20 15 hours ago [-]
The solution I came up with was yt-dlp.
I tried Netflix as well, worked great on the flight, but as soon as we got to the destination and connected to WiFi "This content is not available in your location". That was with downloaded content. Restarting the app with WiFi off did not allow it to play ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
Tintly 6 hours ago [-]
Hey, thanks for all the comments.
I made KidScreen for my two daughters. They both have their own iPads, and I wanted them to have separate video shelves with only the YouTube videos I chose for them.
How it works is very simple: I create one family, add my children, and paste YouTube links into each child’s shelf. Each child has their own login and sees only their own videos. I put KidScreen on the Home Screen as a web app, block regular YouTube and other video sources with Screen Time, and allow KidScreen with youtube-nocookie.com. So when they open it, there is no search, no endless feed, and no random videos to choose from — only what I added.
KidScreen is free. I built it for my own family first, and if it is useful for other parents, I will keep developing it. It will stay free. It is a web app, not a native TV or mobile app, and it does not download videos for offline use. It can work in a browser on a TV, but it was not made specifically for TV.
In my own setup I have not seen ads or recommendations. But the main point is simple: no video appears on the child’s shelf because of an algorithm. It is there because the parent added it.
A lot of you are right about one thing: the main page does not explain this well enough. I thought people would just try it because it is free, but I understand why someone wants to know exactly how it works before signing up. I will move the About section to the main page, add screenshots, and explain the product better.
aspanda 18 hours ago [-]
Hey i'd love to use it but may be add a little more description in the landing page to build confidencee before a parent can signup for the service! That has kept me away from signing up TBH. The premise of the product seems promising. I was thinking of building a whole device for parents to block content on the https traffic level
zikduruqe 17 hours ago [-]
On the webpage - "Learn more in your parent account: About."
So I click About and it asks me to login or create an account.
Instant nope from me.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
That is a good catch. I assumed a free sign-up would feel like low friction, but putting the explanation behind an account hides the information people need before they can trust the product. I should make that explanation public. Thanks for pointing it out.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
jzig 18 hours ago [-]
Agree with other commenters this needs a better landing page with some screens or a video demo. Especially for a product where building trust with your family would be a necessity.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
blakesterz 18 hours ago [-]
Looks interesting but I would want some public information about how it works and who is doing it, etc... The complete lack of any available details must be stopping many potential users.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
asielen 10 hours ago [-]
The issue I found is that there is good content that isn't traditional kids content. Engineering videos, how it works etc.
So I vibe coded my own solution over a couple weekends that runs on my LG TV.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
Exactly. A parent can add any public, embeddable YouTube video they consider appropriate — it does not have to be labelled as children’s content. Engineering videos, documentaries, and “how it works” videos fit the model well. KidScreen does not classify the content; the parent makes that decision.
codeulike 15 hours ago [-]
Interested in this, but to work on an ipad that has youtube.com blocked via ScreenTime I imagine it probably wont work (unless you unblock youtube.com and the youtube becomes accessible via the browser). Unless they have found a way round this problem?
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
Yes — this is exactly how I use it on my children’s iPads. I install KidScreen as a Home Screen web app, block the regular YouTube website and other video sources with Screen Time, and allow KidScreen together with its `youtube-nocookie.com` player. The child opens only KidScreen and sees the shelf I prepared.
arendtio 15 hours ago [-]
I like the idea.
I solved the issue by building an extra Android Launcher for the kids, where you can add apps and videos, but then you have the problem that you can't configure your own launcher on all tablets (e.g. Fire Tablets).
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
Aeolun 17 hours ago [-]
How does it stop Youtube from showing recommendations?
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
KidScreen removes the YouTube browsing experience: there is no search, no feed, and no algorithm choosing the next video for the child. I add the exact videos myself, and the child sees only that finite shelf. On my children’s iPads I use KidScreen as a Home Screen web app and block the other video sources with Screen Time. In my testing I have not seen ads or recommendations in this setup.
spking 17 hours ago [-]
I love this! Thank you OP.
Feature suggestion: Invite another parent on the Family page. It would be cool if both my wife and I were able to add approved videos.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
kbruner 15 hours ago [-]
YouTube Kids already has a whitelist mode. We use it all the time for our 8 year old.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
jonhohle 16 hours ago [-]
Sell this to school districts. This is what Google should have done from the beginning.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
hw-guy 14 hours ago [-]
Or you can give your kids books to read.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
Books are great too. I do not see books and video as mutually exclusive; a small amount of parent-selected educational or creative video can be useful. KidScreen is about making that choice intentional, not maximizing screen time.
HumblyTossed 14 hours ago [-]
So, are you saying there is zero value in _any_ youtube video for kids?
7 hours ago [-]
LeonKnst 16 hours ago [-]
It'd be so cool if you could customize the shelf according to kids' interests etc
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
bpodgursky 17 hours ago [-]
Technically, 0 is a finite number. It's also the optimal number of youtube videos for a kid.
michaelmior 15 hours ago [-]
While excessive screen time can certainly be a problem and the specific content matters there is nothing inherently wrong with a small amount of age-appropriate YouTube content consumption.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
That is my view as well. KidScreen does not prescribe how much a child should watch; it gives the parent control over the exact videos available.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
pmarreck 17 hours ago [-]
I, too, am a parent of a toddler who would like more control over what YouTube feeds my kid's brain.
It's almost as if YouTube should be the responsible party here, and yet... isn't.
I'm on the verge of building my own frontend to YT and using open source tooling to download only what I approve of, since their algo keeps shoving shit en masse at my kid.
Oh, and I have no idea what this app does, and don't care to sign up just to find out. Not cool.
Hugsbox 15 hours ago [-]
While I agree YouTube Kids is a mess and needs to be better-curated, we as parents are always the responsible party when it comes to what our kids consume.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
Agreed. KidScreen does not replace parental responsibility, supervision, or device-level controls. It is a convenience layer that makes a parent-approved shelf easier to maintain and use.
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
[dead]
nsxwolf 17 hours ago [-]
Friction is the problem with something like this. If my kid grabs my phone, or uses the LG TV Youtube App, or the Apple TV app, or the PlayStation 5, can all of those default to KidScreen?
If it can't solve all those, there's absolutely no utility for me. If I were willing to become the kind of authoritarian taskmaster that tightly controls which devices my kids use to watch something at all times, I would already not need KidScreen.
HumblyTossed 16 hours ago [-]
> If it can't solve all those, there's absolutely no utility for me.
To be fair, how the hell is that something an APP can do?
7 hours ago [-]
nsxwolf 16 hours ago [-]
Yeah that's what I'm saying. So why are we making apps that pretend to do it?
HumblyTossed 14 hours ago [-]
Does this?
Tintly 7 hours ago [-]
It is a browser-based, parent-curated shelf that works together with parental controls.
My first questions were: - do I need a YouTube account? - do I need a premium YouTube account? - can I use it on my tv? - and more generally, how does it work? (Which should answer all above)
Current solution is: download YouTube videos my son is interested in to Plex, watch them on the tv (or iPad)
I also have YouTube premium, but barely use it.
As others have pointed out, the things I am looking for in a YouTube kids replacement is quite specific and detailed, and the landing page provides not an iota of evidence that I will get that.
I tried Netflix as well, worked great on the flight, but as soon as we got to the destination and connected to WiFi "This content is not available in your location". That was with downloaded content. Restarting the app with WiFi off did not allow it to play ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I made KidScreen for my two daughters. They both have their own iPads, and I wanted them to have separate video shelves with only the YouTube videos I chose for them.
How it works is very simple: I create one family, add my children, and paste YouTube links into each child’s shelf. Each child has their own login and sees only their own videos. I put KidScreen on the Home Screen as a web app, block regular YouTube and other video sources with Screen Time, and allow KidScreen with youtube-nocookie.com. So when they open it, there is no search, no endless feed, and no random videos to choose from — only what I added.
KidScreen is free. I built it for my own family first, and if it is useful for other parents, I will keep developing it. It will stay free. It is a web app, not a native TV or mobile app, and it does not download videos for offline use. It can work in a browser on a TV, but it was not made specifically for TV.
In my own setup I have not seen ads or recommendations. But the main point is simple: no video appears on the child’s shelf because of an algorithm. It is there because the parent added it.
A lot of you are right about one thing: the main page does not explain this well enough. I thought people would just try it because it is free, but I understand why someone wants to know exactly how it works before signing up. I will move the About section to the main page, add screenshots, and explain the product better.
So I click About and it asks me to login or create an account.
Instant nope from me.
So I vibe coded my own solution over a couple weekends that runs on my LG TV.
I solved the issue by building an extra Android Launcher for the kids, where you can add apps and videos, but then you have the problem that you can't configure your own launcher on all tablets (e.g. Fire Tablets).
Feature suggestion: Invite another parent on the Family page. It would be cool if both my wife and I were able to add approved videos.
It's almost as if YouTube should be the responsible party here, and yet... isn't.
I'm on the verge of building my own frontend to YT and using open source tooling to download only what I approve of, since their algo keeps shoving shit en masse at my kid.
Oh, and I have no idea what this app does, and don't care to sign up just to find out. Not cool.
If it can't solve all those, there's absolutely no utility for me. If I were willing to become the kind of authoritarian taskmaster that tightly controls which devices my kids use to watch something at all times, I would already not need KidScreen.
To be fair, how the hell is that something an APP can do?