How to block YouTube on iPhone

The short answer

An iPhone needs two rules because YouTube has two paths. Screen Time can limit the YouTube app, while Content & Privacy Restrictions can block youtube.com in Safari.

An App Limit is not a zero time app block. The smallest daily limit is one minute. For no app access at all, delete YouTube and stop new app installs.

Whichever route you choose, set a Screen Time passcode your child does not know. A limit without that passcode is a reminder, not a parent held rule.

Block the YouTube app with Screen Time

Use this route if one minute of access is acceptable.

1. 1

   Open Settings, then Screen Time. Under Family, select your child if you manage the iPhone through Family Sharing.

2. 2

   Turn on App & Website Activity. Scroll down, open Lock Screen Time Settings, and set a passcode the child does not know.

3. 3

   Open App Limits, tap Add Limit, expand Entertainment, and select YouTube. You can also find it with the search field.

4. 4

   Set the limit to one minute for every day. Turn on Block at End of Limit, then tap Add.

Both parts in step 4 matter. If Block at End of Limit is off, the child can keep using the app after the timer. If there is no Screen Time passcode, they can change the limit.

Apple lists individual app limits and the passcode setup in its Screen Time guide.

Remove the app for a full block

Screen Time does not put third party apps such as YouTube in Allowed Apps & Features. That list is for built in Apple apps and features.

For no YouTube app access, delete YouTube. Then open Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions, and iTunes & App Store Purchases. Set Installing Apps to Don't Allow. This blocks all new App Store installs, not just YouTube.

Apple documents the app and purchase restrictions. If your child still needs to install other apps, use Ask to Buy instead and decline YouTube requests. A past download may not need a new purchase, so test the App Store from the child's iPhone.

Block YouTube in Safari

1. 1

   In the child's Screen Time settings, open Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.

2. 2

   Open App Store, Media, Web & Games, then Web Content. Choose Limit Adult Websites.

3. 3

   Under Never Allow, add https://youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com, and https://m.youtube.com.

4. 4

   Test the YouTube home page and a direct video link in Safari. Test every other browser installed on the phone too.

A home router block alone is weak for an iPhone because cellular data leaves your home network. Screen Time stays on the phone when it moves between wifi and cellular service.

If you want limits inside YouTube instead

Google's current supervised accounts can block a named channel. Family Center can also set the daily Shorts feed limit to zero. Those controls keep YouTube available. They do not replace the Screen Time steps when you want no YouTube.

Vidward is not an iPhone control. It is a desktop browser extension plus a parent dashboard. It does not filter the YouTube app, Safari, or any other browser on an iPhone.

If your child also watches on a computer, that desktop Chrome session is where Vidward can set channel, video, title, Shorts, and autoplay rules. Read how to block YouTube in Chrome. For the difference between app and website scope, see how to block the YouTube website, not the app.