YouTube for Kids to ease parents' worries.

• Author: Liedtke, Michael
• Position: News

Byline: MICHAEL LIEDTKE

SAN FRANCISCO -- YouTube is going to release a mobile app that will only show video clips suitable for young children to help parents control what their kids are watching on the Internet.

The YouTube for Kids app, scheduled to be released for Android devices on Monday, features thousands of kid-focused channels that provide both entertainment and education. The content is mostly meant for children 2 to 8 years old. Clips are selected by computer algorithms and human review.

Although YouTube doesn't permit pornographic videos or most other clips containing nudity, a wide range of salacious, violent and crude material is available on the site. That prompted many parents to ask YouTube for a ''family-friendly'' version of its service, said Shimrit Ben-Yair, a product manager for the kids' app.

The concept is similar to a kids section that...