How can you upload a video to YouTube Kids? Let's start with the changes in kids content that made this the main question for kids creators couple of years ago.
In 2019 kids content creators earned a lot from monetization. In fact, the kids segment was considered the most profitable and the most stable on the platform. But then the СОРРА Law came into effect and a few months later we were all hit with the coronavirus pandemic. In the midst of all this chaos, YouTube updated the policy for ads made for kids content on YouTube.
Unfortunately, in 2020 many kids creators had to deal with lower revenues and YouTube restrictions which, of course, affected their earnings. Today, the main way to safely and quickly develop content for kids channels is to get on YouTube Kids. In this article, we'll talk about how to upload videos there.
YouTube Kids was created by YouTube itself to provide safe and kid-friendly content for children aged 4 to 12. YouTube collects all the videos targeted at young viewers and brings them to the app. YouTube Kids contains only kid-friendly content and ads that can be of interest to both kids and their parents, in addition to not harming the mental and physical health of the child.
The YouTube Kids app is easy to use. It has separate channels for Hasbro, Lego, and even McDonald’s. Additionally, it has convenient navigation for kids and an extensive menu of videos and channels on various topics. To select and watch the desired video, you just have to slide your finger to the right or left. The application can be accessed via the TV. YouTube Kids has a premium subscription that has no ads and videos can be watched offline.
There are no content filters in the app, but you can set up parental controls through your Google account. To do this, you need to set up a profile as "Approved content only." Parents whitelist specific channels and videos that their children can watch. Also, children can set their passwords so that siblings do not get into their profiles. But parents can change it or create it themselves.
YouTube Kids has many benefits for both viewers and creators. First, it provides a safe environment for kids, and second, it allows content creators to make considerable revenue on advertising.
How to Get Videos on YouTube Kids?
YouTube Kids was created to ensure that kid-friendly content is accessible not only by viewers but also by advertisers. Brands care about their name and reputation, so they don't want to collaborate with creators whose content might harm children. The types of videos that will be monetized in the application must be one hundred percent safe for viewers and useful to them. Therefore, the app has very strict moderation rules, and channels are added there gradually.
Today there is one primary answer to the question of how to get your videos on YouTube Kids. Authors should create safe content that meets YouTube requirements. Algorithms identify content as relevant and automatically add it to the app. If your content is uploaded to YouTube Kids, it means that the platform confirms that your content is safe and useful for kids.
Others are less lucky but it doesn’t mean that YouTube Kids is not attainable. Our experience at AIR proves that even poor quality or incoherent content can be transformed in order to get on the YouTube kids app if it's organized into kid-friendly content. You can read more about what content is intended for children here.
This involves either small corrections or consulting on substantial content changes. In any case, the goal is to have mostly safe content on the YouTube Kids app.
Since the app is newly evolving, the YouTube team is slowly reviewing content from creators because of the rigorous moderation. Many creators just have to wait. In order for kids creators to not wait in vain, we offer 5 ways you can prepare in advance. Our recommendation will help to create high-quality content for kids and answer the question “how can I add videos to YouTube Kids?”.
Step 1. Be Aware of YouTube Guidelines
To get started, follow all the YouTube guidelines. Kid's creators should do the following to feel comfortable on the platform, despite the YouTube kids algorithm.
- First and foremost, be aware of YouTube guidelines, terms of monetization, and child safety policy. These will allow you to arrange your work according to YouTube requirements.
- Then, create only safe content. Consider YouTube policies for your segment during the planning and creating stages, from the topic to video materials and optimization. Your content must adhere to the guidelines for creating family-friendly content. Of course, there is parental control on YouTube, but creators must also create kid-friendly content.
- Mandatory content self-certification. From now on all content that is viewed by kids under the age of 13 has to be rated as made for kids content. This leads to a lot of restrictions, and unfortunately, many creators continue ignoring these requirements. However, YouTube uses machine learning and flagging algorithms to identify child-directed videos and rates such videos as made for kids. And that is already a guideline violation that might have a few consequences: from reducing traffic to monetization loss or even channel suspension.
- Understand all the risks. There are minor and more serious violations, and the consequences are different accordingly. Some of the consequences are minor and no reason to worry (for example, the yellow icon on a video). But do not forget that YouTube can still disable monetization or even suspend your channel.
- And last but not the least, take a careful approach when creating content. This is a very important stage.
With the help of the guidelines, you will be aware of all the risks on the platform and will be able to moderate videos yourself before uploading.
Special companies can also help you with this. For example, at AIR Media-Tech we have a whole team of specialists responsible for content safety across all of our partners’ channels. To protect them from sanctions, we daily moderate all of our partners’ video uploads. Our specialists watch these videos and if they find any violations, they contact creators immediately so they have a chance to delete those violations before the platform algorithms identify them. This process helps us avoid quite a number of potential problems.
Step 2. You Must Correctly Optimize Your Video Presence
Properly optimizing your channel and video settings is very important. To positively impact platform algorithms and receive a boost from YouTube, pay attention to things like:
- Your thumbnails. They have to be in mild colors. Avoid acid colors and special effects that can affect kids’ mental state.
- Your video title. Use keywords, no spam titles. Remember that the title should be aimed at viewers not at platform algorithms!
- Your video description. Don’t neglect this. Use keywords, time codes, links to the Subscribe button, and your main playlists.
- Your tags. Use both specific and general keywords, add your video, channel, and playlist titles. The VidIQ service can help you with tags.
Correct optimization will help in promotion through algorithms, which means it will help you find out how to get videos on YouTube Kids.
Step 3. Wait, or Find a Better Solution
Now you have a choice: wait for the platform algorithms to consider your content as suitable for the application, or contact a YouTube Certified Partner AIR Media-Tech for help.
Important: We will not upload your content to YouTube Kids. But we will evaluate your content and offer consultation on how to clean up the content, and then we submit an application to the app, which will increase your chances. For the past few months, AIR Media-Tech has helped over 90 channels get on the app, which includes Baby Ben & BIBO Toys channels, and that is just the beginning.
Do you need help turning your channel videos into a quality content sample and applying to YouTube Kids? Just write to us.
Step 4. Content Moderation
After you have applied for cooperation in the AIR Creators Ecosystem, we connect moderators. They will analyze your channel for compliance with the platform guidelines. At this point, as a YouTube partner, we prepare an application for your transition to the app.
But Be Prepared for a Change
During moderation, we can identify both minor violations (i.e. spam), and global problems that may affect your transition to YouTube Kids. Perhaps you just need to clean up the metadata, or completely change the format of the content. Either way, you will need to heed our recommendations because we communicate with the YouTube Kids team directly and know what kind of content they look for.
Step 5. Submission of Application to Get Your Content on Youtube Kids
As soon as your content is an example of quality and useful content for kids, we will submit an application. Important: even after fixing the problems, your channel may not be fully included in the app. The YouTube Kids platform itself decides to create a channel for you or upload individual videos.
After uploading your content on YouTube Kids, AIR Media-Tech specialists monitor positive changes in the number of views on the partnering channels once content appears on YouTube Kids.
Why Should Creators Be on the YouTube Kids app?
YouTube has announced that in the future all kids content will have to be on the YouTube Kids app. Whether it will also remain on the main hosting site is still unknown. That’s why kids segment creators need to make necessary changes before YouTube takes even more radical steps.
The app will still be refined, and we will continue to analyze it. But, considering all the changes on YouTube today, kids creators need a reliable partner who will help them with promotion and additional income.
Main Challenges to Get on YouTube Kids
While the benefits are more than clear, the journey to YouTube Kids isn’t the simplest one to take:
- Strict Guidelines: COPPA regulations can seem rather overwhelming and intimidating, especially if you are just starting to think about joining the YouTube Kids app.
- Content Volume: Un-surprisingly, YouTube Kids app has a high competitinon rate, which can make standing out challenging.
- Manual Review Delays: The process of joining has no clear timeline and is a bit time-consuming if you're trying to do this by yourself. Moreover, there's a higher chance of being rejected if you don't have a reliable partner, such as AIR Media-Tech, by your side.
- Ongoing Compliance: Once approved, your content requires continuous moderation and updates to maintain eligibility.
How AIR Media-Tech Can Help You to Get on YouTube Kids
As a certified YouTube partner, AIR Media-Tech has access to a lot of resources unavailable to an average YouTube creator. It’s true that getting and staying on YouTube Kids App is almost impossible without a third party as things stand currently, which is why it’s important to find a good partner for the job.
We help when it comes to moderating the content and getting your videos up to the YouTube Kids App standards. Sometimes the creator might think they know how to format in order to not get flagged, but end up being flagged anyways because they are not aware of all the subtleties of YouTube Kids App.
Baby Ben en Español - Canciones Infantiles
One creator we helped to get on YouTube Kids App was Baby Ben en Español. We applied for it in late December 2023. Just one month later, Baby Ben en Español was live on the platform.
What did our partner get? Well, their views and revenue skyrocketed!
BIBO TOYS
The next creator we helped to get on YouTube Kids was BIBO TOYS. We got them there in just one month in January 2024. Their monthly views and revenue exploded even beyond our wildest expectations.
If you also want to get on the YouTube Kids app but have issues with your kids channel, we are ready to help you. At AIR we have a cluster of products and services for the creators in the Kids & Teens segment: Content Protection, Сhannel Troubleshooting (i.e. yellow icons, channel and video suspensions, monetization problems), Getting on YouTube Kids, Mobile Apps, and many more. We hold the Largest Expertise Globally in the Kids segment.
