# Personal tablet, YouTube and short video

**Should our child have their own tablet, YouTube or short video apps?**

Whether your child has their own tablet and what they watch, from none to a shared locked-down tablet to their own device.

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: No personal device; Shared tablet with a locked profile; Own tablet with controls; Unrestricted. Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: toddler.

- Area: Screens, phones and digital life
- Evidence: Your call
- Best settled: Toddler
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/screens-phones-and-digital-life--personal-tablet-youtube-and-short-video

## Personal tablet, YouTube and short video: what are the options?

1. **No personal device**: The child has no device of their own.
2. **Shared tablet with a locked profile**: The child uses a family tablet with a restricted children's profile.
3. **Own tablet with controls**: The child has a tablet with parental controls switched on.
4. **Unrestricted**: The child has a device with no restrictions.

## Personal tablet, YouTube and short video: what does the evidence say?

**Your call.** No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide.

85% of children 12 and under watch YouTube, 51% daily

Sources:

- [Pew](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/10/08/how-parents-manage-screen-time-for-kids/)

## What else is worth knowing?

A device of the child's own is harder to supervise than a shared one. Video apps recommend one clip after another, so it is hard to control what comes next. Children's profiles and controls help and are not complete.

## Questions to ask each other

- When would our child get their own device?
- How do we feel about YouTube and short videos?
- What controls would we set?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=screens-phones-and-digital-life&topic=screens-phones-and-digital-life--personal-tablet-youtube-and-short-video