YouTube App Missing from Kid Profile on Brand New Google TV Streamer

[damusa]

I just set up a brand new Google TV streaming device.

• Created a kids profile

• Added YouTube as the only allowed app

But when I switch to the kid profile, YouTube is nowhere to be found.
It shows as installed and enabled in the settings, but it doesn't appear on the home screen.
Disabling and re-enabling the app does nothing.
Even a full factory reset and clean setup doesn’t solve it.

The YouTube app shows and works fine under my own (non-child) profile.

So:

• Is there a way to fix this?

• Or more to the point: when will Google fix this?

This seems like a serious issue with the integration between Family Link and YouTube in Google TV’s supervised profiles. What should have been a simple, enjoyable unboxing and setup experience has instead cost me over 2 hours of pure frustration. This is not some obscure bug, this is a broken core feature out of the box.

[areeba]

That’s a common issue with kid profiles on Google TV. By default, some apps like YouTube are restricted for child safety. To enable YouTube, you’ll need to go into the parent’s profile, navigate to Settings > Accounts > Kids > [Child's Name], and then manage app access or switch to YouTube Kids, which is allowed by default.

Also, if you're setting up profiles and want to make them more fun or identifiable for each child, using a creative name style can help you customize names with bold or fancy fonts—it’s a simple touch that adds personality to their viewing experience.

[damusa]

That is the same "Manage apps" section available in the kids profile settings. YouTube is already enabled, but it doesn’t appear anywhere on the home screen.

I was also told that YouTube Kids no longer exists on the Streamer and has been merged into the regular YouTube app. That’s why it isn’t listed separately.

[EduardoN]

Hi @damusa,

Thank you very much for contacting this community! I understand what's happening. You've created a child's profile and added YouTube correctly, but the app doesn't appear when you switch to the kids' profile. I also appreciate that you've already tried several troubleshooting steps, including a factory reset. I'm here to help you.

To ensure you receive the most effective assistance with this, we recommend reaching out to our friends at the Youtube Contact Us page. They have the necessary expertise to troubleshoot and resolve YouTube concerns.

@areeba, I appreciate your suggestions on how to have a creative name and how to verify the YouTube Kids profile!

Keep me posted.

Best regards,
Eduardo

[damusa]

Very useful, the issue is clearly with the device, since YouTube works fine in other profiles. Pointing me to generic YouTube help pages that aren’t even remotely related to my problem is not helpful, but rather dismissive.

[areeba]

On Google TV kid profiles, the regular YouTube app doesn’t show up because Google only allows YouTube Kids for child accounts. This is done for safety and parental control reasons. If you want your child to use the regular YouTube app, you’d need to switch to a supervised account instead of a kid profile, but most parents prefer sticking with YouTube Kids for filtered content. By the way, if you’re setting up profiles and want to make them look more unique, here’s a handy tool: https://stylish-name.in/instagram-bio/ — it lets you generate stylish fonts and bios that you can use across your online accounts.

[damusa]

YouTube kids stopped working today. I am supposed to use YouTube now with a kids account which doesn't work. I'm pretty disappointed in how Google offers no support whatsoever.

Way to go Google!

[NiceNath]

I’m here for these same issues 

[AKA-LAKA-KAKA]

The YouTube Kids app no longer works. Kids now need to select their account from the YouTube app to go to the version of YouTube Kids in that. Access controls can apparently prevent the kids from exiting out and accessing the parent YouTube profile. However, the YouTube app can currently only be added to parent Chromecast profiles, which completely defeats the purpose of having kids Chromecast profiles 😕 I'm hoping somewhere in Google land someone is working on the solution for this, because currently on our Chromecast my kids can only watch YouTube Kids on my main Chromecast profile, which doesn't have any content restrictions, viewing time limit etc. because I'm an adult!! 

[Holden]

I’m having the same exact issue, and all the research rabbit holes I’ve gone down have yielded zero help 🫤

[NiceNath]

I’ve spent hours trying to create a new child profile with a gmail account because YouTube kids went, the profile just fails everytime. Seems I’m not alone but no fixes

[Shoyek]

Same issue here. Super disappointing that Google has not fixed this issue before removing access to the YouTube kids app. Now I have to login to the parent account without all the safety nets to get access to the YouTube app..

[NiceNath]

Absolutely. Don’t feel like this is going to be fixed as quick as we want either 

[MorkS]

Yup, same thing. For me. Fairly annoying, at least my kids aren't old enough to use the remote yet so I just look up wherever educational/exercise video we want to watch myself.

I hope this gets resolved in the future.