Enabling the parental code feature prevents children from watching YouTube without signing in or accessing adult family accounts. This is a 4-digit PIN that the app asks for when you do any of the following:
- Watch YouTube without logging in.
- Access accounts for older family members (over 13 years old, or the appropriate age according to country regulations).
- Delete account from TV device.
The parental code feature has been one of the big requests from users ever since YouTube changed the profile switching mechanism on smart TVs.
On this, Google said: “We hope this change gives parents more peace of mind, knowing that kids can’t use inappropriate accounts or features on smart TVs, and helps make recommendations in your profile more closely related to your personal interests rather than what you and your family have previously watched together.”
This feature is rolling out gradually over the next few days. Once available, you can set up a parental code on your TV by following these steps:
- Open the YouTube app on your smart TV.
- From the home screen, select Settings on the left side.
- Select the Parent code tab.
- Follow the instructions to set up or reset your 4-digit PIN.
Users expect this feature to help increase security and control content when using YouTube on devices in the home.
