As parents, we always want the best for our kids. Busy schedules and easy access make it challenging to keep tabs on all the media our children consume. Of course, limiting screen time or banning it altogether is an option, but it’s not very practical for most parents.
Instead of fighting the uphill battle of constantly monitoring your kids’ viewing, load their screens with kid-friendly streaming services you can trust. This collection of apps has pros and cons, so we will quickly dissect each app’s good and bad aspects, the content they feature, and where you can find them.
These kid-friendly streaming apps are a mixture of completely free, ad-supported, and subscription-based options, so there is a little something for everyone here. While streaming services such as Disney+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video have plenty of children-based options, the options on my list were specifically built for children.
PBS Kids: Familiar Children’s Content For Free
Why It’s Awesome:
This is the same Public Broadcasting Station we grew up with, but on demand. It is easy to navigate for smaller kids, but more importantly, it is filled with all of your favorite educational shows from PBS, including long-running shows like Arthur and Sesame Street, as well as more contemporary shows like Molly of Denali.
What to Watch For:
The PBS kids app is completely safe for kids of all ages. It is explicitly meant for kids, so there is no chance of them wandering into content that is too mature for them.
Available On:
Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, Xumo, iOS, and Android
Sensical: Tailored To Each Child’s Age Range
Why It’s Awesome:
My favorite part about Sensical is that it is tailored to your kids’ age ranges. When you first sign up, you add their names and years of birth, and it automatically aggregates content appropriate for that age range. It even tells you what kind of content it’s adding, i.e., shows about learning numbers and letters for the little ones. One would think that a service like this would cost a pretty penny, but Sensical is now free to use.
What to Watch For:
Sensical offers videos of kids playing games like Roblox and Minecraft, which some parents may not appreciate, but this app is harmless overall.
Available On:
Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, Xumo, PlayStation, iOS, and Android
Happy Kids: A Wide Variety Of Old And New Content
Why It’s Awesome:
Happy Kids has done an excellent job curating free content and sorting it well. On the home page, you can choose between specific genres or age ranges. They boast over 100,000 free videos for tweens and below, so there is no worry about content being too mature. Shows range from YouTube favorites like Blippi to classics like Fern Gully and Care Bears.
What to Watch For:
Happy Kids is another app with no downsides.
Available On:
Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, Xumo, PlayStation, iOS, and Android
Kidoodle: A Wide Range Of Kids Content
Why It’s Awesome:
Kidoodle can be described as a less-organized version of Happy Kids. It has much of the same free content as Happy Kids but focuses more on online videos like game streaming and scripted YouTube shows. Parents will love the “Teacher’s Corner” tab, which is full of educational cartoons.
What to Watch For:
This app is poorly organized, so parents may have to play a bigger role in what their kids watch than they would like. The app also auto-plays content in the background, which can be annoying when trying to find something you want to watch.
Available On:
Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, Xumo, PlayStation, iOS, and Android
Kartoon Channel! Is Perfect For Kids Who Love Animated Shows
Why It’s Awesome:
As the name insinuates, this app aims to deliver (mostly) animated shows. Kartoon Channel! has a variety of shows ranging from educational to entertaining. One thing that sets these guys apart from the rest is the Rainbow Rangers, an intellectual property owned by the app that even had a toy line at one point.
What to Watch For:
While there is a ton of kid-safe content, it isn’t organized well, so younger kids may have challenges finding what they are looking for without help from a parent.
Available On:
Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, Xumo, Playstation, iOS, and Android
Kids Tube: A YouTube Starter App For Younger Kids
Why It’s Awesome:
Kids Tube (not to be confused with YouTube Kids), is the perfect app for younger kids who want to go on YouTube like their older siblings. This app is set up similarly to YouTube but with guardrails allowing kids to watch specific videos. There isn’t much content on this app, which may seem like a downside, but it is designed for smaller kids, so fewer choices may be a good thing.
What to Watch For:
Kids Tube is a little rudimentary and loads slowly. There is also not as wide of a selection as other apps; however, this lends itself to the idea of it being “baby’s first YouTube.” This app is also ad-supported, and the ads are abundant.
Available On:
Roku, Amazon
YouTube Kids: An Introduction To The Service
Why It’s Awesome:
The YouTube Kids app is a great introduction into the world of YouTube but for younger children. Parents setup their children with a kids account and then choose content types based on age levels. As your child gets older you can change their age restrictions to reveal more content. YouTube kids provides collections for children but parents can also add channels and content of their own choosing and block content they don’t want their children to watch.
What to Watch For:
While YouTube Kids content is carefully curated, their may be some content parents don’t approve of for their children. If you don’t want your kids watching certain streamers you’ll need to monitor their account and block any channels, shows, or specific videos that you don’t approve of your children watching. As an added bonus, the Roku app features a “best of YouTube Kids” app that offers a carefully curated channel featuring hand-picked videos tailored for young viewers.
Available On:
iOS, Android, Roku
Toon Goggles: From Toddler To Teens
Why It’s Awesome:
At first glance, Toon Goggles seems a little chaotic, but it’s not as bad as it looks. It is designed to be a preschool-high school app with content for kids of all ages. What I like about this app is that it has tools that older kids can use, like search bars and genres, but it also displays large, colorful icons for kids who aren’t quite at a reading level yet. This app has a ton of content, ranging from entertainment to educational. While they have much of the internet content that many other apps have, they also have a wide selection of characters kids already know and love.
What to Watch For:
Since this app is for all ages, there is a chance that your smaller kids may stumble onto something made for teens, but again, those big, colorful icons usually catch their attention right away. This is also an ad-supported service, but a premium version costs $1.99 a month and gets rid of the ads.
Available On:
Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, Xumo, PlayStation, iOS, and Android
Minno: Faith-Based Streaming Content For Free
Why It’s Awesome:
This faith-based app only offers Christian content, so you know your kids will never encounter anything lewd or lascivious. It’s easy to navigate, and the app features pictures of their favorite shows. Minno is entirely free with no ads, making it an excellent way to get safe programming without paying for it.
What to Watch For:
Those who celebrate religions other than Christianity won’t likely be interested.
Available On:
Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, iOS, and Android
Honorable Mention: Curiosity Stream
Why It’s Awesome:
Curiosity Stream isn’t solely focused on kids which is why we gave it an honorable mention. This app is fantastic because it is filled with educational content for the whole family. It offers kids’ shows like Sid the Science Kid but is also packed with educational documentaries on science, nature, and history. There’s even a kid mode that allows you to filter out anything deemed too mature for the little ones.
What to Watch For:
Apart from ensuring that this app stays in kids’ mode so you don’t have to worry about it, the only downside is that Curiosity Stream is a paid service. You can pay yearly or monthly, and there are various options for those with budgetary concerns.
Available On:
Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, Xumo, PlayStation, iOS, and Android
These kid-friendly streaming services will hopefully provide your children with hours of safe family fun. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out our list of the best original kids movies on Netflix and our list of the best 90s kids movies and the valuable lessons they teach to children.