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YouTube is home to millions of videos that people watch every day. The use cases range from personal to business; even kids use it to study and watch entertaining content. This can go up to hours a day. It impacts not only a kid’s eyes but also their mental, physical, and cognitive health. It’s thereby crucial for parents to understand how to block YouTube on Android and keep their kids safe from the negative impact.
This article can be a comprehensive guide for parents. Here, you’ll learn about the best parental control app that can help you block it. Also, it provides a step-by-step guide to built-in methods to block YouTube easily on Android.
Table of Contents
Part 1: Use Parental Control App
Part 2: Android Built-In Digital Wellbeing
Part 3: Set Parental Control in Google Play Store
Part 4: Use Disable and Revert Settings
Part 1. Use Parental Control App
Beyond doubt, YouTube is the most addictive online platform. The built-in search and AI algorithms work precisely to provide recommended videos that users watch for hours. In fact, its new Shorts feature can keep people glued to the screen with the addictive content it serves. Such a long watch time might not be suitable for teens, that's why tracking kids' YouTube usage is necessary.
Not only screen time, but the concern of them watching inappropriate content is also present. Although YouTube is home to millions of good content that help a kid grow, when talking about kids, you can’t be sure. They might end up watching inappropriate content, so the parents must show them the right path. Using parental control tools like KidsGuard Pro is one of the best options.
This is one of the most reliable and effective parental control apps that can block YouTube without the user knowing. As it works in a stealth mode, the target user won’t be able to uninstall the app. Besides that, this comprehensive parental control app lets you filter web, control screen time, track location, block unwanted apps, and use geo-fencing technology. Here are some highlight features of KidsGuard Pro:
- Web Filtering: KidsGuard Pro offers web filtering capabilities, which parents can use to block access to certain websites, such as YouTube.
- App Blocking: Parents can use this feature to block unwanted or potentially dangerous apps, including YouTube.
- Time Management: This is a handy feature for managing your kids' screen time. Set time limits on YouTube usage on your child’s Android device to establish a healthy balance between screen time and other activities.
- Real-time Tracking: KidsGuard Pro lets you track your kids' locations in real time. You can set a geofence that alerts you if a child enters or leaves the boundary.
Part 2. Android Built-In Digital Wellbeing
While KidsGuard Pro is a comprehensive answer to how to block YouTube on Android, there are other methods as well. One such is the Android built-in Digital Wellbeing feature. This has an app timer that restricts YouTube usage once it reaches the set time limit. As a result, kids won’t get carried away spending hours watching videos. Here’s how to block YouTube on mobile using the Digital Wellbeing feature:
Step 1. Access Settings on your Android device, scroll to find, and click on the Digital Wellbeing and parental controls option.
Step 2. This opens up a dashboard that details the time spent on the phone and individual apps like YouTube. Head over to Set Goal to set a screen time goal. As the child exhausts the time limit, they will receive a notification and won’t be able to access the app for the rest of the day.
Step 3. Now, tap the graph icon in the top-right corner to view your kids’ screen time throughout the week.
Part 3. Set Parental Control in Google Play Store
This handy feature provides an additional layer of content filtering and parental control. Setting it up ensures your younger one won’t be able to download or access any age-inappropriate content from the Google Play Store. Then, you can use the YouTube age restriction feature to establish a healthy digital environment for your kids. First, start by placing parental controls on the Google Play Store, so here are the steps in order:
Step 1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android smartphone and tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
Step 2. From the pop-up menu, tap Settings.
Step 3. It provides a list of options, so head to Family > Parental controls.
Step 4. Turn on the parental controls and set up a four-digit PIN. This restricts your child from turning off the setting.
Step 5. Then, set to apply restrictions to Apps & Games, Films, and Books. In Apps & Games, you set age limits from 3+ to 18+, depending on your kids’ age. Once you do, tap Save to apply the restrictions.
Now that you’ve set the Google Play Store restrictions, move on to your kids’ YouTube app. Follow the steps to apply age-based limits on the app:
Step 1. Open YouTube and tap your profile picture at the bottom right corner, followed by the Gear icon at the top.
Step 2. Go to General > Restricted Mode from the list of options and toggle it ON. This effectively provides peace of mind that your kids can’t access any age-inappropriate content on YouTube.
Part 4. Use Disable and Revert Settings
Using the restricted mode on YouTube might not be foolproof, and one or two age-inappropriate videos might slip in. In that case, disabling YouTube might be the sole option left, so your kid won’t be able to access it unless you enable it. The primary benefit of this method is that it makes YouTube entirely inaccessible for your child, so here’s how to block YouTube on Android:
Step 1. Open Settings on your Android device, and tap Apps.
Step 2. The new page shows the list of apps installed on your device, so scroll to find and tap YouTube.
Step 3. Next, tap the three-dot icon on the top right corner, followed by Uninstall Updates. This will erase all the updates and restore the app to its Factory Settings.
Step 4. Tap the Disable option at the bottom and confirm it by tapping Disable app from the pop-up menu. That’s it. YouTube is permanently disabled from your kids’ devices unless you choose to enable it again.
Although effective, this method can be burdensome. You have to repeat the steps to let your kid watch a YouTube video, and it might become a hassle to manage it consistently.
FAQs about Blocking YouTube on Android
How do I disable YouTube on Android?
To disable YouTube on Android, access Settings > Apps and scroll through the apps. Tap the YouTube app, followed by Disable > Disable App, to disable YouTube on your phone.
How do I completely block YouTube?
To block YouTube on a phone, disable YouTube from the device’s settings. This permanently blocks YouTube on the target phone unless you enable it again. You can also use parental control tools like KidsGuard Pro to block YouTube completely.
How to child lock YouTube on Android?
You can use the Google Family Link to put a child lock on YouTube on Android. For that, you must link your and your kids’ devices and lock YouTube from the list of options.
Conclusion
Reading this article, you have understood how to block YouTube on Android. Although there are many built-in methods to block your kids’ access to the video streaming platform, using the KidsGuard Pro parental control app is the best. This guarantees that your kids are engaged in safe browsing, and you can be a better parent without breaking a sweat. Aside from app and website blocking, the app lets you track your kids’ location and other activities like social media monitoring, keylogger, call recorder, and more. So, try it today and keep your kids safe!
