YouTube has partnered with over a dozen regional content creators and distributors from ten countries to establish the Youth Digital Wellbeing Initiative, focused on developing high-quality, age-appropriate content for young viewers. 

The initiative aims to enhance online experiences for children while limiting exposure to low-quality content.

“The well-being of young people on our platform is a top priority at YouTube, and the Youth Digital Wellbeing Initiative builds upon our longstanding efforts,” YouTube CEO Neal Mohan stated in a blog post.

Global Collaboration for Youth Content Standards

The initiative brings together market leaders including Animaj, Moonbug, The Pinkfong Company, and WildBrain, to support a unified vision for youth content. 

According to YouTube, these partners will collaboratively work to raise industry standards through responsible product design and content creation tailored to local needs across diverse languages.

“We are committed to positively shaping the online content experiences of young users, not only by promoting healthy and enriching content for youth but also actively limiting the reach of low-quality content,” YouTube’s blog post reads.

Focus on Safety and Development

The initiative outlines two primary focus areas: empowering youth with age-appropriate choices while protecting against online harms and promoting youth well-being through high-quality content.

Recent research from digital safety company Qustodio, which surveyed 2,000 parents, revealed that 66% don’t trust their children to monitor their own technology use.

“Joining YouTube’s Youth Digital Wellbeing Initiative is a natural extension of our mission to create content that’s not just entertaining, but truly enriching for young minds,” Bitna Kwon, Chief Strategy Officer at The Pinkfong Company, told Kidscreen.

The partners plan to implement content safeguards by setting age-appropriate defaults for sensitive content and investing in research-backed resources for families. The initiative also aims to support healthy screen time and provide crisis resources when youth view content discussing sensitive mental health topics.

Jon Benoy, Moonbug Entertainment’s Managing Director of Platforms and Music, noted for Kidscreen: “Millions of families learn and bond through CoComelon, Blippi and our other beloved shows. That’s why we dedicate substantial care and resources to ensure every episode is as enriching as it is entertaining.”