To block YouTube on an iPhone, do two things. Delete the YouTube app and turn off installing apps in Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases. Then add youtube.com to the Never Allow list of the Screen Time website filter. For a child, do both from your own iPhone in Settings > Family > your child's name > Apps & Websites.
YouTube is an app and a website. If you block only the app, youtube.com still plays every video in Safari. If you block only the website, the app still opens.
Apple renamed parts of Screen Time in iOS 27. I use the iOS 27 names and give the old name the first time.
Block the YouTube app with Apple's settings
Delete the app and turn off installing apps
- Touch and hold the YouTube app on the Home Screen or in App Library.
- Tap Remove App, then tap Delete App, then tap Delete.
- In Settings, open Screen Time, then Content & Privacy Restrictions, and turn it on.
- Open iTunes & App Store Purchases.
- Find the setting for installing apps and set it to Don't Allow.
- Set a passcode. In Screen Time, open Manage Screen Time and tap Lock Screen Time Settings.
What it leaves open: youtube.com in the browser. And with installs off, you cannot install any app at all. When you turn installs back on for a new app, YouTube can come back too.
Set a time limit on the app
- In Settings, open Screen Time, then Time Allowances (called App Limits before iOS 27).
- Pick the category that holds YouTube and set the time. Before iOS 27, tap Add Limit first. Then tap a category name to pick YouTube alone.
What it leaves open: YouTube works until the time is used up. Then the phone shows an Ignore Limit button, unless a Screen Time passcode is set. On iOS 27, Apple says a Time Allowance also counts an app's website when the app declares one.
Restrict apps by age rating
At the time of writing, YouTube is rated 13+ on the App Store in the United States. Screen Time can restrict apps by age rating, so a rating below 13+ leaves YouTube out.
- On your own iPhone: Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web, & Games > Apps. Choose a rating below 13+, such as 9+.
- For a child on iOS 27: Settings > Family > your child's name > Apps & Websites > Restrictions. Set the age rating for apps there.
What it leaves open: the website. The rating also restricts every other app rated 13+ or higher. I could not find an Apple page that says what happens to an app that is already installed, so delete YouTube first.
Block youtube.com in Safari and other browsers
On iOS 26 and earlier
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Screen Time.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then tap Web Content.
- Select Limit Adult Websites.
- Tap Add Website below Never Allow and enter youtube.com.
- Tap Add Website again and enter m.youtube.com, the address a phone opens.
The Never Allow list sits under Limit Adult Websites, so Apple's adult website filter is on too.
On iOS 27
The filter moved. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, then Apps & Websites. Apple's pages for a child's iPhone say you add a website there by name and tap Block Website. If you do not see these names on your own iPhone, type "Websites" in the search field at the top of Settings. More on the filter in how to block adult websites on an iPhone.
What else to add to the list
- youtu.be, the short form of YouTube links.
- youtube-nocookie.com, if videos inside other websites matter to you. Google says an embedded video loads from youtube.com, or from youtube-nocookie.com when the website uses privacy-enhanced mode. I found no Apple page that says the list stops these embedded players, so test it on a page you know.
Which browsers follow the list
Apple's filter works in Safari and in apps that show web pages with the iPhone's system web view. A browser that loads pages another way may not follow it.
What it leaves open: the YouTube app.
Block YouTube on a child's iPhone with Family Sharing
Do this on your own iPhone. Your child needs a Child Account in your Family Sharing group. The setup is in iPhone parental controls kids cannot turn off.
On iOS 27:
- Open Settings, tap Family, then tap your child's name.
- Tap Apps & Websites. Enter your Screen Time passcode if the iPhone asks for it.
- Select YouTube, tap Block App, then tap again to confirm.
- Select youtube.com, or add it by name, and tap Block Website.
- To stop new installs, tap App Store, then Installing Apps, then Blocked. Or keep installs on and turn on Ask to Buy under Restrictions, so each new app needs your approval.
Apple says a blocked app is not deleted. It is dimmed on the Home Screen. On iOS 26 and earlier, open Settings > Screen Time, tap your child's name, and use the steps from the two sections above.
Apple's page on the Screen Time passcode says: "When you set a Screen Time passcode, you need to enter it to change any Screen Time settings." So your child cannot change them without the code. Set it in Manage Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings.
The softer options from Google
If you do not want YouTube gone, Google has two options.
- YouTube Kids. A separate app with its own website, youtubekids.com. Google lists the content levels Preschool, Younger and Older, a setting where your child sees only what you approve, and a timer.
- A supervised account. Google calls the one for children under 13 "a parent-managed version of regular YouTube and YouTube Music." In Family Center you can disable autoplay, pause watch history and set a daily Shorts feed limit. For teens, Google says either the parent or the teen can turn supervision off at any time.
Why these blocks are easy to undo
If you set the block for yourself, you can undo it yourself.
- You know the Screen Time passcode, so you can change any setting in under a minute.
- Apple lets you reset a forgotten Screen Time passcode with your Apple Account.
- The App Store keeps a list of every app you downloaded. With installs on, YouTube is one tap away.
The full list is in why Screen Time doesn't work.
For a child the passcode holds better, because you chose it. Parents still report the same few ways around it. The child sees the code typed. A blocked site opens in a browser inside another app. An old phone, a tablet or a friend's phone has no limits.
Keep YouTube, but remove the pull
YouTube is good when you open it for one video. If the next video is the problem, change three of Google's own settings in the YouTube app before you block anything.
- Turn off autoplay. Tap your profile picture, tap Settings at the top right, tap Autoplay and switch it off.
- Pause watch history. Tap your profile picture, then Settings, then Manage all history. Open the Controls tab and uncheck "Include the YouTube videos you watch". Google says that with little or no watch history, recommendations on the home page are removed.
- Set a Shorts feed limit. Sign in to the YouTube app. Tap the You tab, then Settings, then Time management, then Shorts feed limit. Zero is one of the choices. Google says a message reminds you when the limit is reached, and you can dismiss it or ignore the limit.
On the computer, our free browser extension hides Shorts everywhere on youtube.com. The home feed, your subscriptions, search and the video you came for stay.
The ways, side by side
| Way | Blocks the app | Blocks the website | How it is undone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delete the app and turn off installing apps | Yes | No | Turn installs back on with the Screen Time passcode |
| A time limit in Screen Time | Only after the time is used up | On iOS 27, if the app declares its website | Tap Ignore Limit, or change the setting |
| An age rating below 13+ | Together with every other app rated 13+ | No | Change the rating with the Screen Time passcode |
| youtube.com on the Never Allow list | No | Yes, in Safari and the system web view | Remove it from the list with the Screen Time passcode |
| Blocked from a parent's iPhone (Family Sharing) | Yes. The app is dimmed. | Yes | The parent changes it. The child needs the passcode. |
| A supervised iPhone with a locked profile | Yes. The app is hidden and does not open. | Yes | Erase the iPhone, or use a Mac with Apple Configurator |
The permanent way: a supervised iPhone with a locked profile
Supervision is a mode Apple built for the iPhones of schools and companies. A supervised iPhone can hold a profile with a list of blocked apps and a list of blocked websites. When the profile is locked, nobody can remove it in Settings. There is no passcode to enter.
My free Mac app sets this up without erasing the iPhone. It sends a small set of settings to the iPhone and restarts it. Your photos, messages and apps stay. Back up first, with Finder or iCloud.
- Download the app on a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later, and connect the iPhone with a cable.
- Let the app supervise the iPhone. It takes a few minutes.
- Check the list of blocked apps. YouTube is on the list the app starts with. The app adds the websites of each blocked app. For YouTube these are youtube.com, m.youtube.com and youtu.be.
- Start in trial mode. In trial mode you can remove the profile in Settings.
- When the list is right, plug in once more and lock the profile.
After that, the YouTube app is not on the Home Screen and cannot be opened, and its website does not load. The app works on iOS 27 and earlier. On iOS 27 the steps on the iPhone differ a little. They are in how to supervise an iPhone on iOS 27 without erasing it.
The manual guide does the same with Apple Configurator, Apple's own Mac tool, which erases the iPhone first. You make the profile with the free profile builder.
For other apps, see how to block any app on an iPhone. To remove most of them, see how to turn an iPhone into a dumbphone.
The same steps for TikTok, Instagram and X
Every step above works for these three. Only the websites differ.
- TikTok. Block the app and tiktok.com. Our profile builder also adds vm.tiktok.com, the address of TikTok's short links.
- Instagram. Block the app and instagram.com.
- X. Block the app, x.com and twitter.com. Our profile builder also adds t.co, the address of X's short links.
On the computer, the browser extension hides Reels and the Explore grid on Instagram and the For you tab on X.
What this cannot do
- It cannot block YouTube during some hours only. A locked profile hides the app all day.
- It cannot hide Shorts and keep the rest of the YouTube app. No Apple setting reaches inside an app.
- It does not cover other devices. The Mac app supports iPhone only today.
- It cannot be removed for one evening once it is locked. If you want that, stay in trial mode.
- It needs a Mac. Without one, the Screen Time ways above are what you have.
How to undo it
A Screen Time block is undone in Settings with the Screen Time passcode. A trial profile is removed in Settings too.
A locked profile cannot be removed on the iPhone itself. To remove it, erase the iPhone: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. A Mac with Apple Configurator can also remove a profile from a supervised iPhone. Decide before you lock.
FAQ
Can I block YouTube but keep YouTube Music or YouTube Kids?
Yes for the apps. YouTube, YouTube Music and YouTube Kids are three separate apps, so blocking the YouTube app leaves the other two. The website youtubekids.com is its own address. But music.youtube.com is part of youtube.com, so expect a block on youtube.com to close it in the browser.
Can I block only YouTube Shorts on an iPhone?
Not with Apple's settings. They block the whole app or the whole website. In the YouTube app, Google's Shorts feed limit can be set to zero, but you can dismiss its reminder or ignore the limit. On a computer, our free browser extension hides Shorts on youtube.com.
Can I block YouTube during school hours only?
Yes, with Screen Time, which can block by schedule. On iOS 27, Apple's setup for a child has a Pause During School Hours setting. You set a start time and an end time, and it pauses app categories such as Entertainment, Games and Social Media. On iOS 26 and earlier, use Downtime with a Screen Time passcode and Block at Downtime. The permanent profile on a supervised iPhone has no schedule. It blocks YouTube all day.
Does blocking youtube.com also block it in Chrome?
Apple's website filter works in Safari and in apps that use the iPhone's system web view. A browser that loads pages another way may not follow it. If YouTube opens in a browser after you block it, delete that browser.
Will this block YouTube on other devices?
No. Each block is on one iPhone. For Screen Time limits and schedules, turn on Share Across Devices. On iOS 27 it is in Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time. Apple says your limits and schedules then apply to your iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Block the app and the website, then decide how long
Start with Apple's settings today: delete the app, turn off installing apps and put youtube.com on the Never Allow list. If YouTube keeps coming back, get the free Mac app and try the locked profile in trial mode first. If you prefer to do each step yourself, follow the manual guide.