Chromecast (3rd Gen) – Child’s YouTube Account Keeps Signing Out

[karachr]

I’m having an ongoing issue with my Chromecast 3rd Gen and my child’s supervised YouTube account.

• I am the Family Manager in Google Family Link.

• I created a managed Google account for my child so they can use YouTube with supervision.

• On the Chromecast, I’ve set up two profiles:

  • My main (parent) account

  • A child profile, where I selected which apps should appear (including YouTube).

The issue is: YouTube keeps signing my child’s account out on the Chromecast. 

When we open YouTube on the child’s profile:

1. We click Sign in → Select account → Choose child’s account.

2. Instead of signing in, the app reloads back to the main YouTube screen, still not signed in.

3. The only workaround is to:

   • Switch to my parent account

   • Go to Settings → System → Restart

   • After the restart, switch back to the child profile

   • Then YouTube finally shows as signed in.

This will continue for a random amount of time/days before we have to repeat the above process.

This cycle repeats regularly, and the child’s account won’t stay signed in reliably.

Has anyone else experienced this on Chromecast 3rd Gen with supervised accounts?
Is there a known fix to stop YouTube from constantly signing the child out?

I'm aware that the YouTube Kids app is being retired hence why I'm not using that any more.

Thanks!

[bazilrat]

In the same boat happens on all devices to all of our accounts.  The worst part is it allows my kids to see things that aren't content filtered when signed out.

[virnab]

Hi there,

Thanks for posting in our community. I see that your Chromecast 3rd gen refuses to retain your child’s supervised YouTube account in the sign-in status. I appreciate you sharing the customized settings and the troubleshooting efforts you've tried to resolve this inconvenience. I understand how concerning it is that the fix only lasts a random number of days before the cycle repeats. Don’t worry! Let's get this sorted for you. 

To get started, please provide some more information by answering these questions: 

• What is the current Operating System build of your Google TV? This information is available on your TV if you open Settings > System > About > Android TV OS Build. 
• Is the YouTube app updated? 
• Have you cleared the cache and data on the YouTube app? 
• Are you using the latest version of the Family Link app? 

Please keep me posted.

Best regards,

Virna

[bazilrat]

I'm having this experience on multiple devices.  4k Google Streamer, Onn 4k Streamer Pro, 2 Chromecasts, and 2 Chromecast HD.  All are updated to latest OS version and YouTube version.  I've tried clearing cache and all data, to no avail.  The work around I've found is to switch profiles and then switch back and try YouTube.  Sometimes it works with one change, sometimes I have to do it multiple times with no pattern or consistency.

I do have one outlier device which required me to log my account into YouTube and then have my son's child account added.  I then put a code on the adult account.  This is better because it always signs in but my son has to pick his account instead of mine when opening YouTube, even under his profile, but at least this assures me he can't watch as guest and see videos well beyond his age group.

[karachr]

Hi Virna,

Thanks for replying.

Here are the details of my Chromecast:

• Model Chromecast
• Android TV OS version: 14
• Android TV OS security patch: level 1 January 2025
• Kernel version: 5.15.153-android14  Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 UTC 1970
• Android TV OS build: UTTC.241218.008.H1.13427172

1. Is the YouTube app updated? Yes
2. Have you cleared the cache and data on the YouTube app? Yes
3. Are you using the latest version of the Family Link app? Yes - this is running on my Pixel 8 Pro.
   

   Version 2.61.0.2025w38.807666134
   com.google.android.apps.kids.familylink

[virnab]

Hi there!

We apologize for the inconvenience. Our engineering team is actively working on a fix to be included in an upcoming app update. Thanks for your patience!

Best regards,

Virna

[karachr]

Great - thanks for passing this on to the team. 

I'll let you know when/if the bug is fixed.

[MW81]

They will never fix this. Issue has been the same for years. Also child accounts can't cast. It's a joke. They just want every kid to use an adult account apparently.