Frequently Asked Questions

YouTube is designed for adults and optimized for maximum watch time. The recommendation algorithm automatically suggests the next video — without considering whether it is appropriate for children. Kids can quickly end up with content that frightens, overwhelms, or is simply not suitable for their age. With unrestricted access, a child is essentially alone with an algorithm that does not know their age.

YouTube Kids filters content using automated systems — but these are not perfect. Inappropriate content still slips through. More importantly: parents cannot precisely control what their child watches. You can filter by broad age categories, but you cannot say 'only these specific channels and nothing else.' Tubsy closes that gap.

Tubsy is a separate app — not a filter on top of YouTube. Your child watches approved content within Tubsy, without ever accessing YouTube directly. Changing settings requires a parent password. This makes it much harder to bypass than browser filters or YouTube's own parental settings.

Tubsy works with a whitelist approach: only content you have explicitly approved is visible to your child. No algorithm, no automatic recommendations, no autoplay. You decide which YouTube channels, playlists, or individual videos your child may watch. Everything else simply does not exist in Tubsy.

Most alternatives are either too open (YouTube Kids) or too rigid (complete blocks). Tubsy offers both freedom and control. What makes us stand out: approval on three levels (channel, playlist, video), a personal feed of new videos from approved channels, a full web app in addition to the mobile app, protection against clicking external links during playback, and precise time limits per profile. All without an algorithm, without recommendations, and without autoplay.

All three. You can approve individual YouTube channels, individual videos, and full playlists. This gives you maximum flexibility — for example, you can allow specific videos from a channel without unlocking the entire channel.

There are two ways: either you copy the YouTube link of a channel, playlist, or video and paste it directly into Tubsy — Tubsy automatically detects what is behind it and shows you a preview to confirm. Or you use the built-in search in Tubsy, type a name or keyword, and select the right channel, playlist, or video straight from the results. One click and the content is approved for the selected child profile.

No. You do not need a YouTube account. You add content simply by pasting a YouTube link directly into Tubsy — Tubsy automatically detects whether it is a channel, playlist, or individual video and lets you approve it with one click.

Yes, at any time — from both the website and the app. In the parent view you can add or remove channels, playlists, and videos at any point. Changes take effect immediately — your child sees the updated library the next time they open Tubsy.

When the daily or weekly time limit you have set is reached, playback stops and your child sees a friendly notification. The session cannot be extended without the parent password — so the boundary holds even when you are not in the room.

Tubsy is designed for parents of children between roughly 3 and 14 years old who want to let their children enjoy YouTube content — but with full control over what they see. Whether you want to allow just a few specific channels or carefully curate a larger library: Tubsy adapts to your needs.

No. Your child gets a child profile within your Tubsy account — no separate login, no password. You as the parent select and start the profile. Your child cannot switch profiles themselves — which prevents them from, for example, switching to a sibling's profile once their own screen time is used up.

With the free plan you can manage 1 child profile. With Tubsy Carefree there is no limit — ideal for families with multiple children, each with their own approved content.

Tubsy currently works in the browser on smartphones, tablets, and computers. Native apps for Android and Android TV are in development. Browser-based access already works well on mobile devices.

Absolutely — we love hearing from you! Send us an email and we will read every message. We are also working on a public feature board where you can submit ideas and vote on other people's suggestions. Coming soon.

Tubsy has a free tier that covers the essentials: 1 child profile, up to 3 channels, and 5 individual videos. The 'Carefree' subscription unlocks unlimited profiles, channels, playlists, and videos, plus time-limit features. The free tier is permanent — no trial period.

Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any time — no notice periods, no hidden conditions. After cancellation, your access continues until the end of the paid billing period. You can also fully delete your account and all associated data at any time.

Tubsy itself contains no advertising and no tracking. However, since videos play through the YouTube player, YouTube may show ads within that player — this is outside our control. If you want to avoid that, YouTube Premium removes ads at the player level. Everything else in Tubsy is free of advertising, tracking cookies, and third-party data sharing.

No personal data is collected from child profiles. There is no tracking of what children watch, no behavioral profiles, and no data is shared with advertising networks. Only what is technically necessary for the service to function is stored.

Tubsy was built by Isabella and Michael — two parents who got tired of fighting the YouTube algorithm and the daily screen-time argument.