How do you compare tools without picking a winner first?
Write down the decision before you open any app. Are you deciding which apps a child can open, which videos can play, or both? A device tool answers the first question, a video approval tool answers the second, and many families need both.
Pew Research Center found that about three-quarters of U.S. teens use YouTube every day, in a survey of 1,458 teens conducted September 25 to October 9, 2025. Younger children watch video too, so settle the approval list before you pick a tool. Apple’s parental controls page for iPhone and iPad describes the device-side settings, according to Apple Support.
How does YouTube Kids’ approval mode compare?
YouTube Kids has an “Approve content yourself” setting. According to Google’s YouTube Kids help page, once it is on, the child can only watch the videos, channels, and collections you handpick, and the child cannot search for videos in the app.
A parent can tap any collection, channel, or video to approve it, and can edit the list at any time. Turning off search is a different control, and the guide on whether turning off search means approving every video explains the gap. That setup works well for a short list inside one app. If you also manage approvals somewhere else, you will be keeping two lists, so decide early which one is the source of truth.
The approval mode has a practical trade-off. A child who cannot search depends on your list to find anything new. Some families want exactly that, and others find it too restrictive, so decide which group you are in before you set it up.
How do the options differ on approvals, requests, and cost?
The table compares what each option lets a parent approve, whether a child can search, and what it costs. Cells marked “Not covered here” fall outside this comparison, so check the current help page for those.
PARE shows what a parent approves and what a child requests inside one household workflow. Device tools handle apps, time, and content on the device itself, which is a different layer from video approval.
Device tools and video approval answer different questions, so the choice is rarely either-or. A family can use device settings for time and apps while using a video list for what plays.
| Question | YouTube Kids approval mode | PARE Parent with PARE Kids | Device tools (Screen Time or Family Link) |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you approve | Collections, channels, or single videos | Single videos or channels on YouTube | Apps, time, and content settings on the device |
| Can the child search? | No, in approval mode | Not covered here | Not covered here |
| Can the child send a request? | Not covered here | Yes, and the parent approves or denies it | Not covered here |
| Schedules | Not covered here | Yes, set per child | Device schedules, set per device |
| Cost | Check the app listing | $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year | Included with the device |
Which option fits a family that approves one video at a time?
A family that approves one video at a time needs a tool where that single approval is the unit of work. YouTube Kids’ approval mode handles that directly, and PARE does too, with a request that arrives in the parent’s queue. Start with one question: one video or a whole channel? The guide on approving one video or a whole channel works through that choice.
If your family wants a request flow, schedules, and a single household plan across several children, PARE is built for that. If your family wants only a short hand-picked list and nothing else, the approval mode in YouTube Kids may be enough.
How do you run a fair test before you pay?
Use the trial period to test your routine. For seven days, note each request and each approve or deny decision in one place. At the end, count how many requests came from the same creator and how many were one-offs. That tally will tell you more about fit than any comparison table.
PARE says in its editorial policy that it does not present its guides as an independent review of its own product. Read this article the same way: it is a checklist written by the publisher of one of the options. The current prices are on the PARE Family pricing page, and the editorial policy lists the limits of this kind of guidance.
What should you check when you switch tools?
Switching is where two lists drift apart. Before you move a child to a new tool, copy the current approvals into one note, then remove the old ones so the child is not left with two sets of rules. Tell the child what changed and why, in one sentence, so the new tool does not feel like a surprise.
Then check the device. A video tool governs only its own app, so the device settings you already use should stay in place. Record the first request and the first decision, and compare them with the trial tally you kept earlier.
- Old approvals copied to one note
- Old approvals removed from the previous tool
- Child told what changed, in one sentence
- Device settings still in place
- First request and decision recorded
Common questions
Is PARE better than YouTube Kids?
Neither is better in general. YouTube Kids’ approval mode suits a short hand-picked list inside one app, while PARE adds requests and schedules on top of YouTube video approval for a monthly or annual fee.
Do I still need device controls if I use a video tool?
Usually yes. A video tool decides what plays in its own app. It does not set limits on the other apps on the device, so keep the device settings in place too.
Is this comparison an independent test?
No. It uses the documented features named in the sources and PARE’s own product details. It is not an independent test. The editorial policy explains why.
What should I test during the trial?
Track requests and approve or deny decisions for the seven days of the trial, then compare the counts. That shows whether the routine works before you commit.
Sources and further reading
- YouTube Kids help: Approved content only
Source of the approval mode details: parent-approved collections, channels, and videos, with no child search.
- Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025, Pew Research Center
Source of the share of teens who use YouTube daily and the survey sample and dates.
- Set up parental controls to manage your child’s iPhone or iPad, Apple Support
Source for the description of device-side parental controls.