Watchly, Free Guide

Safe YouTube Starter Pack

Curated playlists by age, step-by-step instructions to block Shorts and recommendations, and ready-to-use theme and rating examples for Watchly.

📚 Kid-Safe Playlists by Age

Curated channel recommendations for every age group. Add these to your child's Watchly library to get started instantly.

🧸

Toddlers (2–4)

Recommended channels:

  • •Sesame Street - Letters, numbers, and social skills through beloved characters
  • •Numberblocks - Math concepts through animated number characters
  • •Alphablocks - Phonics and letter sounds through animated blocks
  • •Hey Bear Sensory - Calming sensory videos with music and animation
  • •Super Simple Songs - Nursery rhymes and simple learning songs

Sample playlists to add:

  • ▶Sesame Street: Learning ABCs
  • ▶Numberblocks Full Episodes
  • ▶Super Simple Songs — Animals

💡 Tip: Keep sessions to 15–20 minutes. Use Watchly intermission breaks every 10 minutes.

🌈

Early Learners (5–7)

Recommended channels:

  • •Khan Academy Kids - Reading, math, and social-emotional learning
  • •SciShow Kids - Bite-sized science explanations for curious minds
  • •Cosmic Kids Yoga - Yoga adventures that combine movement with storytelling
  • •Art for Kids Hub - Step-by-step drawing lessons for beginners
  • •Storyline Online - Celebrity read-alouds of popular picture books

Sample playlists to add:

  • ▶SciShow Kids — How Things Work
  • ▶Art for Kids Hub — Easy Drawing
  • ▶Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventures

💡 Tip: Mix active content (yoga, dance) with learning. Set 30-minute daily limits.

🔭

Elementary (8–10)

Recommended channels:

  • •National Geographic Kids - Nature, wildlife, and geography documentaries
  • •Crash Course Kids - Science and social studies in engaging short episodes
  • •TED-Ed - Animated lessons on every subject from experts
  • •Mark Rober - Engineering and science experiments with real-world applications
  • •Scratch Foundation - Learn coding through creative projects

Sample playlists to add:

  • ▶Crash Course Kids — Earth Science
  • ▶TED-Ed — How Things Work
  • ▶National Geographic Kids — Animals 101

💡 Tip: Create subject-specific libraries (Science, Math, Coding). Let kids search within approved themes.

🚀

Middle School (11–13)

Recommended channels:

  • •Veritasium - Physics and science experiments explained clearly
  • •3Blue1Brown - Beautiful math visualizations and explanations
  • •Kurzgesagt - Animated science and philosophy explainers
  • •freeCodeCamp - Full programming courses and tutorials
  • •History Matters - Short animated history lessons

Sample playlists to add:

  • ▶Kurzgesagt — Space & Astronomy
  • ▶3Blue1Brown — Essence of Linear Algebra
  • ▶freeCodeCamp — Python for Beginners

💡 Tip: Give broader search freedom with wider theme filters. Focus on blocking inappropriate content rather than restricting topics.

Want to add these channels to your child's library?

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🛡️ How to Block Shorts & Recommendations

YouTube Shorts and algorithmic recommendations are the two biggest risks for kids. Here is how Watchly eliminates both in six steps.

  1. 1

    Sign up for Watchly

    Create a free account at watchlyplayer.tv. You will not be charged during the trial, and you have full access to all parental controls immediately.

  2. 2

    Create a child profile

    Add your child with a name, emoji avatar, and 4-digit PIN. Each child gets their own profile with separate libraries and settings.

  3. 3

    Build a video library

    Search YouTube from the parent dashboard. Preview videos before adding them. Add individual videos, full playlists, or entire channels to your child's library.

  4. 4

    Shorts are blocked automatically

    Watchly does not display YouTube Shorts. Your child only sees the videos you added to their library. There is no Shorts feed, no swipe-to-next, and no endless scroll.

  5. 5

    Recommendations are replaced with your library

    Instead of YouTube's algorithm deciding what comes next, your child browses the library you built. No autoplay, no suggested videos, no rabbit holes.

  6. 6

    Set time limits and intermissions

    Configure daily screen time limits per child. Enable intermission breaks that pause playback at regular intervals so kids take breaks naturally.

Key takeaway

With Watchly, you do not need to configure anything to block Shorts or recommendations. They are removed by design. Your child only sees the library you built, nothing more.

Ready to block Shorts and recommendations for your kids?

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🎯 Theme & Rating Examples

Copy and paste these configurations directly into Watchly. Each example includes allow themes, block themes, and a suggested rating.

🔬

Science Explorer

✅ Allow themes

science, experiments, nature, animals, space, dinosaurs, weather

🚫 Block themes

pranks, scary, violence, horror, weapons

Rating

G — suitable for all ages
🎨

Creative Arts

✅ Allow themes

drawing, painting, music, piano, crafts, origami, clay

🚫 Block themes

pranks, unboxing, toy reviews, gambling, scary

Rating

G — suitable for all ages
🧮

Math & Coding

✅ Allow themes

math, counting, coding, programming, logic, puzzles, engineering

🚫 Block themes

violence, scary, pranks, gambling

Rating

G — suitable for all ages
🌙

Bedtime Stories

✅ Allow themes

stories, read-aloud, fairy tales, bedtime, calm, lullabies

🚫 Block themes

scary, loud, action, pranks, horror

Rating

G — suitable for all ages
🏃

Active & Movement

✅ Allow themes

yoga, dance, exercise, sports, movement, fitness, stretching

🚫 Block themes

contact sports injuries, extreme sports, violence

Rating

G — suitable for all ages
🚀

Older Kids (10+)

✅ Allow themes

science, history, geography, coding, engineering, documentaries, current events

🚫 Block themes

violence, horror, gambling, drugs, explicit language

Rating

PG — parental guidance suggested

Copy these themes into Watchly and start filtering in seconds.

Create Your First Profile

⚡ 5-Minute Setup Checklist

Follow these six steps and your child will be watching safely before the coffee gets cold.

  1. 1

    Create your free Watchly account

    You will not be charged during the trial

  2. 2

    Add your first child profile

    Name, emoji avatar, and 4-digit PIN

  3. 3

    Search YouTube and add 5–10 videos

    Or add a full playlist or channel

  4. 4

    Set themes in plain English

    e.g., "science, animals, music"

  5. 5

    Set a daily time limit

    Recommended: 30–60 minutes for ages 5–10

  6. 6

    Hand the device to your child

    They enter their PIN and start watching safely

Set up Watchly in under 5 minutes. Cancel anytime.

Use Watchly to give your kids a safe, ad-free YouTube experience with only parent-approved content.

Start Your Free Trial

7-day free trial · No credit card required · Cancel anytime