Jitterbug.tv is Subscription YouTube for Children

By: Kuljit Grewal  |   June 12th, 2012   |   Mobile Apps

Parents who are concerned with what their children may be exposed to while surfing video sharing websites such as YouTube can breathe a little easier these days thanks to Jitterbug.tv. The company that created the concept was co-founded in 2008 by Grammy Award winning music mixers Dan Gellert and Randall Green. This is an application specifically created for use on the iPad.

 

The concept and target audience of the app are simple enough – video and music targeted towards children aged 2-7. Jitterbug already boasts an impressive collection of children’s artists who contribute work that ranges from country to hip-hop. The application is free to download for the first 15 days, and thereafter requires a payment of $3.99 monthly for continued use. Rather than simply screening and posting material from other websites, Jitterbug’s offering is available exclusively within the application, with all the revenue that is generated being distributed amongst the contributing artists.

 

As for the actual application itself, the interface is straight forward in operation and appearance, using large thumbnails for all music and video clips. It is definitely catered towards children being able to use and explore the application themselves. This not only gives them a feeling of control, it also makes it difficult for parents to separate their children from them.

 

All of the music is ad-free meaning that the content is fully dedicated to delivering the goods to your young ones. We found that although there was a fair amount of educational material on the application, there was also a substantial amount dedicated purely for entertaining. Although we share in the belief that technology should never serve as a babysitter, we are confident that there will be times when the $3.99 will seem like a bargain. The 15 day grace period allows you to explore the content and see what you kids think of it. Other than having to sign up on the website rather than the application itself, it is a solid application overall that we would recommend trying.