27/01/2026

LYFE TUESDAY | JAN 27, 2026

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YouTube parental controls

A S tech accessibility continues to soar, allowing increasingly younger demographics to enter social media and video streaming platforms, the question of child protection continues to pervade discourse. In response to calls by parents and experts, YouTube has announced several new updates aimed at helping families tailor their experiences on the platform. Controls for parents Parents can now help teens be even more intentional about how they watch, with an option to limit the amount of time spent scrolling YouTube Shorts and soon, parents Ű BY MARK MATHEN VICTOR o Limits can be imposed on time spent on Shorts feed

that is joyful and fun, inspires curiousity and inspiration, deepen interests and perspectives, life skills and experience building, along with conversations that support well-being with credible information. Meanwhile, the “low-quality content principles” will aid in protecting teens from narrow body standards, dangerous acts and behaviours, bullying, hate and direspect, wealth obsession and misconception and aggressive and intimidating behaviour. For harmful content, Graham explained that community guidelines are universal and apply globally, as they stand the test of time. “While that is

Parents can now set daily time limits on YouTube Shorts with just a few taps.

they want their teen to use YouTube to focus on homework but change it to 60 minutes during a long car trip for entertainment purposes. Additionally, parents of supervised accounts will be able to set custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders, building on the existing enabled-by-default well-being protections for teens. YouTube sees the tools as helping parents and teens meet each other halfway. “The biggest changes we incur is macro-level engagement and conversations, as parents make changes to the time they expect their children to be on the Shorts feed, along with parents continuing to feel engaged and empowered with the parental control,” said YouTube Health director and global head Dr Garth Graham. Blueprint for high-quality content On top of the new control tools, YouTube will be applying new principles and a creator guide to steer teens toward age-appropriate, higher quality and enriching content. Dubbed “high-quality content principles”, they encompass content

can even set the timer to zero. An industry-first feature, parents now have firm control over the amount of short-form content their kids watch, which also gives parents flexibility. For example, they can set the Shorts feed limit to zero when

Despite government efforts to reverse the trend, China ranked among the top 10 countries with the lowest birth rates in 2023, according to World Bank data, just after Japan. Young Chinese have largely shrugged off these measures, saying they are not enough to address the problem. The jobless rate for people aged between 16 and 24 reached 18.9% in August, reflecting a tough market. Many who have jobs work long hours under a gruelling “996” culture – 9am to 9pm, six days a week. Overall, China has struggled to maintain a strong economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Officials reported the economy grew 5% in 2025, meeting an official target. However, economists warned growth was largely driven by strong exports, masking sluggish consumption at home. – AFP Graham explains the timer is only for children, as adults retain freedom on the platform. – YOUTUBEPIC Easier set-up for families Furthermore, the on-boarding process will see the platform updating its sign-up experience to allow parents to create a new kid account, which they can then easily swap between on the mobile app depending on who is watching. It will make it easier for everyone in a family unit to have a right viewing experience with the content settings and recommendations of age-appropriate content that they want to watch. According to YouTube, the new features will be available globally as they are rolled out slowly across different markets by the end of the first quarter of this year.

the case, understanding regional and local contexts is also super important to keep users safe on the platform, because we need to understand how violative content manifests in different places.” He further noted YouTube has thousands around the world, including those with local language expertise and those who understand cultural nuances, helping work towards detecting and reviewing violative content. Both principles were developed by the company’s Youth Advisory Committee and the Centre for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA, with support by experts from the American Psychological Association, Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and other global organisations.

The tools will allow proper time management for kids. – PICS FROM FREEPIK

China’s birth rate falls to record low as many worry about costs, career CHINA’S birth rate plunged last year to its lowest level on record, official data recently showed, as its population shrank for a fourth straight year despite efforts to curb the decline. contraception, including condoms, after Beijing removed exemptions from Jan 1.

data showed. China’s population also fell by 3.39 million people last year compared to 2024, extending the annual decline that began in 2022. The government has scrambled to boost marriage and fertility rates, offering childcare subsidies and taxing condoms as it grapples with a rapidly ageing population. China also recorded 11.31 million deaths in 2025, a mortality rate of 8.04 per thousand – leading to a population decline of 2.41 per thousand, NBS data showed. High costs Marriage rates are also at record low, with many young Chinese couples put off from having babies by high child rearing costs and career concerns. Many couples born during China’s family planning period – each only children – are now grappling with the responsibility of raising children while caring for two sets of ageing parents. Authorities have attempted to address the flagging birth rate with a

It is now threatened with a demographic crisis after its birth rate halved over the past decade, despite the end of the restrictive “one-child” policy. There were just 7.92 million births recorded last year, Chinese officials said, a rate of 5.63 births per thousand people. It was the lowest birth rate since National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) records began in 1949 – the year Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The UN has predicted China’s population could fall from around 1.4 billion today to 800 million by 2100, even though it has taken measures to boost fertility rates. Births fell by 1.62 million in 2025, a drop of 17% year-on-year, NBS

China struggles with a shrinking population and falling birth rate despite government efforts to encourage couples to have children. – AFPPIC raft of measures intended to promote having children.

per child under the age of three. Authorities also waived fees for public kindergartens beginning last fall. And consumers must now pay a 13% value-added tax for

A nationwide childcare subsidy policy, which took effect on Jan 1, offers parents the equivalent of around US$500 (RM1,983) annually