# How to Start a YouTube Channel for Kids (Safely)

> How to start a YouTube channel for kids, whether you're making videos for children or helping your child create. Covers made for kids, age rules and privacy.

Canonical: https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/how-to-start-a-youtube-channel-for-kids
Last updated: 2026-10-23

Category: YouTube. 

How to start a YouTube channel for kids depends on what you mean. If you're making videos for a child audience, you create a channel as an adult and mark it "made for kids" in YouTube Studio, which turns off features like comments and personalized ads. If your child wants their own channel, YouTube generally requires account holders to be at least 13 (the age varies by country), so a younger child's channel should be owned and run by a parent, with the child appearing under supervision.

This guide covers both situations, step by step, with privacy and safety front and center.

## How to start a YouTube channel for kids: two different meanings

| | A channel made for kids | A kid running (or starring in) a channel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who owns the account | An adult or a business | An adult if the child is under YouTube's minimum age; a teen may own it where allowed |
| Who the videos are for | Children | Any audience, often other kids or family |
| Key setting | Audience set to "made for kids" | Audience set honestly, often "not made for kids" |
| Main concerns | Children's privacy law (COPPA in the US), limited features | Age rules, privacy, comments, supervision, contact from strangers |
| Typical content | Songs, stories, crafts, learning videos, toy play | Gaming, hobbies, reviews, vlogs, school projects |

Many family channels are both: a parent runs a channel where a child appears in videos aimed at children. In that case, every section below applies.

## Part 1: Starting a channel made for kids

### Understand the "made for kids" setting

In the US, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) limits how data from children under 13 can be collected. After a 2019 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, YouTube began requiring every creator to tell it whether their channel and each video is "made for kids." The rule applies to creators everywhere, not just in the US.

Content is usually made for kids if children are the main audience, or if it features things like child actors, toys, animated characters, nursery rhymes or games aimed at young children. YouTube's help center lists the factors it considers. If you're unsure, read that guidance carefully; mislabeling can lead YouTube to change your setting, and YouTube has said creators may be responsible for complying with COPPA themselves.

### What the made for kids setting turns off

To protect children's data, YouTube switches off a number of features on videos marked made for kids. At the time of writing, these include:

- Comments
- Personalized ads (non-personalized ads can still run)
- Notifications for the video
- Live chat and Super Chat or Super Stickers
- Channel memberships and merch features
- Cards and end screens
- Saving to playlists or Watch later
- Playback in the miniplayer

Check YouTube's current help page for the full list. The important takeaway is that a channel made for kids earns and grows differently: fewer interactive features, and ads that aren't personalized, which can mean lower ad income.

### Step by step: set up a made-for-kids channel

1. **Sign in with an adult Google account**, ideally a brand account so you can add managers later without sharing a password.
2. **Create the channel** from the YouTube app or YouTube Studio and choose a name. If you're stuck, our free [YouTube name generator](https://scheduleforyou.com/tools/youtube-name-generator) gives ideas that fit YouTube's limits (channel names up to 50 characters at the time of writing).
3. **Set the channel audience.** In YouTube Studio, go to **Settings → Channel → Advanced settings** and choose whether the channel is made for kids. You can also set this per video.
4. **Write a clear description** (up to 1,000 characters) saying what the channel offers and who it's for. Parents read these.
5. **Plan content that's appropriate and original.** Avoid misleading thumbnails, loud "shock" titles and anything that copies other creators' characters or music without permission.
6. **Review each upload's audience setting** in YouTube Studio before it goes public.

## Part 2: When your kid wants their own YouTube channel

### How old do you have to be to have a YouTube channel?

YouTube's terms generally require you to be at least 13 to have your own account, and the minimum age is higher in some countries. Check the age requirement for your country in Google's and YouTube's help centers. Teens under 18 also need a parent's or guardian's permission to use YouTube under its terms.

### Options for children under 13

A child under the minimum age can't legitimately have their own channel. Safer options include:

- **YouTube Kids:** a separate app for watching, with content filters and parental controls. It's for viewing, not uploading.
- **A supervised experience on YouTube:** a parent sets up a supervised Google account through Family Link and chooses a content setting. Supervised accounts can watch but can't upload videos or comment, at the time of writing.
- **A parent-managed channel:** the parent owns the Google account and the channel, controls uploads and settings, and the child takes part in making videos. This is the usual route for young creators.

### For teens 13 and over

A teen who meets the minimum age can have their own channel. Parents can stay involved through YouTube's supervision tools for teens, where available, and by agreeing house rules: what topics are fine, what personal details stay private, and how comments are handled. YouTube also limits some features for younger users; for example, its policies say minors under 16 can only live stream with an adult present.

### Step by step: set up a parent-managed channel for your child

1. **Create the channel on your own Google account**, or a brand account you control. Keep the password and two-step verification codes to yourself.
2. **Choose a name that doesn't reveal your child's full name**, school or town. A nickname or a theme works better.
3. **Set the audience correctly.** If the videos are aimed at children, mark them made for kids. If they're aimed at a general audience (for example, a teen's gaming commentary), choose not made for kids, and expect YouTube to restrict comments on some videos that feature minors.
4. **Start with private or unlisted uploads.** Upload a few test videos so your child can learn editing and see how things look before anything is public.
5. **Use YouTube Studio's comment settings.** Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review, add blocked words, or turn comments off.
6. **Review every video together before publishing.**

## Privacy and safety checklist

Whether your channel is for kids or features them, run through this before each upload:

- **No identifying details:** full names, school names, uniforms, house numbers, street signs, car plates or recognizable landmarks near home.
- **No real-time location:** post after you've left a place, not while you're there.
- **Check the background** of every shot, including mail on a table and screens.
- **Keep titles, descriptions and tags free of personal details.**
- **Don't film children in situations that could embarrass them** later, such as bath time, tantrums or private moments.
- **Ask for your child's agreement** as they get older, and respect it if they want a video taken down.
- **Watch for contact attempts** through other platforms or email, and never move conversations with strangers off-platform.

If the channel earns money, the payments go to the account holder's AdSense account, which must belong to an adult. Some places have laws about earnings from children who appear in online content, so check the rules where you live.

## Planning and scheduling uploads

Whichever way you start a YouTube channel for kids, a predictable schedule helps: it keeps filming to set times, not every evening. Plan a batch of videos on a weekend, review them together, and schedule them to go live later.

If you manage several channels, Schedule For You can upload videos to YouTube with a title, description and privacy setting (public, unlisted or private) and publish them at a set time. Set the channel's audience default in YouTube Studio first, then check each video's made for kids setting in Studio after it's uploaded. Our free [YouTube bio generator](https://scheduleforyou.com/tools/youtube-bio-generator) can also help you draft a clear channel description.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a kid have a YouTube channel?

A child under YouTube's minimum age, which is 13 in most countries, can't have their own account, but they can appear in videos on a channel a parent owns and runs. Teens who meet the age requirement can have their own channel with a parent's permission.

### What does "made for kids" mean on YouTube?

It's an audience setting every creator must use to say whether a channel or video is aimed at children. Videos marked made for kids have features like comments, personalized ads and notifications switched off to protect children's privacy under laws such as COPPA.

### Can you make money from a YouTube channel for kids?

Yes, made for kids content can join the YouTube Partner Program and earn from ads, but it only shows non-personalized ads and several fan funding features are switched off. That can mean lower earnings than similar content for general audiences.

### How do I make a YouTube channel for my child under 13?

Create the channel on your own Google account, choose a name that doesn't reveal personal details, set the audience correctly and manage every upload yourself. For watching rather than creating, use YouTube Kids or a supervised account set up through Family Link.

### What happens if I mark my video as made for kids by mistake?

You can change the audience setting in YouTube Studio for that video or the whole channel. Be honest about who the content is for: YouTube may override settings it believes are wrong, and incorrect labeling can create compliance problems.

## Related

- [All guides](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog)
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