The director general of the BBC says there are no plans to take its children's channels off the air.
Tony Hall told a Commons select committee: "We don't have proposals to take CBeebies and CBBC, as channels, out of the environment.
"We're talking about how we can make sure that the 20%, and growing, number of young people can use the good things the BBC can offer."
There had been speculation in the press that the channels may be cut.
In a speech last week, Lord Hall announced the creation of a children's iPlayer, called iPlay, but also said that funding cuts would mean the loss or reduction of some services.
Reports had appeared afterwards in newspapers suggesting that children's services may be moved online.
A story appeared in the Independent saying "panicked parents have launched a petition to save CBeebies in response to news the BBC is considering axing its toddler and pre-school channel".
The petition has currently been signed by just under 130,000 people.
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Lord Hall had previously described the recent agreement by the BBC to cover the £600m cost of providing free television licences for over-75s as a "tough deal". He said it would require "some very difficult choices" to be made.
Speaking on Tuesday to MPs at a select committee hearing about the BBC's annual report, Lord Hall also said that after buying in talent show The Voice - a format created abroad - he would like the BBC to be responsible for its next big hit.
"My ambition is that the next time we have a big entertainment format on the BBC, it will be made in-house," he told MPs.
"I hope we find a hit from our in-house stable. That's my aspiration."
He also said he did not consider resigning after the government transferred the cost of free TV licences for the over-75s to the BBC.
"To resign and walk away might make me feel very good, but my job is to get the best deal for the BBC," he told MPs.
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Former director general Mark Thompson did threaten to quit when the government made the same proposal in 2010 - a move Lord Hall said he felt was damaging to the BBC.
Thompson's licence fee settlement "was worse than this deal," he argued. "We had to absorb half a billion pounds of costs [in 2010]. So it was... considerably worse."
The new agreement with the government means the BBC will be "cash flat", Lord Hall said.
Lord Hall was also questioned over stars' support of the BBC, after a letter was written to the Prime Minister in July, calling for the BBC to be protected from cuts.
Dame Judi Dench and Daniel Craig were among the stars who signed the letter - but there have been accusations that the campaign was orchestrated by Danny Cohen, the BBC's director of television.
Lord Hall admitted Mr Cohen "was involved" in asking people to sign the letter.
But, he added: "For months, all of us in the BBC have been offered support from a wide variety of artists, who said, 'we want our voice to be heard about the BBC', and that's what you saw.
"These are people who wanted to declare their support for the BBC. It's not Danny Cohen speaking about the BBC," he said.
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