KidScreen - Curated YouTube shelf for kids
Show HN: KidScreen, a finite YouTube shelf chosen by parents
KidScreen is a free app that lets parents create a personalized video shelf for their children, featuring only pre-approved YouTube videos. It eliminates scrolling and algorithmic feeds, giving families control over screen time. Parents can add specific videos, and kids enjoy a focused, safe viewing experience without search or recommendations. KidScreen is designed to keep families in charge of what their children watch.
We are building it so families stay in control instead of handing the screen to an algorithmic feed — and we want to keep it that way.
- Tintly
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.
- RileyJames
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.
- MostlyStable
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.
- aspanda
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
- jzig
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.