How to Block YouTube on iPhone

YouTube can pull you in two ways: a long video turns into an evening of autoplay, or a quick visit to Shorts turns into a scrolling session. But the same app may also hold your class lectures, tutorials, and workout videos. Choose a boundary around the part of YouTube that is causing trouble: all viewing, certain hours, a particular place, or the Shorts feed.

Method 1: Screen Time App Limits

This is the best free starting point for most people. Screen Time is built into your iPhone. These steps use current iPhone settings; some labels vary by iOS version.

1. Open Settings → Screen Time. If needed, turn on App & Website Activity.
2. Tap Lock Screen Time Settings and create a passcode. If you manage a child’s phone through Family Sharing, select the child in Screen Time first.
3. Tap App Limits → Add Limit.
4. Expand the category containing YouTube, such as Entertainment, and select YouTube itself. If it is listed elsewhere, use the category shown on your phone rather than limiting the whole category.
5. Tap Next. Set 1 minute for a near-total daily restriction, or choose a larger allowance to cut back gradually.
6. Enable Block at End of Limit, then save with Add or the checkmark shown on your iPhone. If the toggle is missing, confirm the Screen Time passcode is set and reopen the limit.

After the allowance runs out, opening YouTube should show the Screen Time limit screen. Try it once to confirm the settings work as intended. Apple explains the category picker and daily allowances in its Screen Time scheduling guide.

A one-minute limit is not a zero-minute block. Extra-time options, including One More Minute in some setups, can still appear. If you know the passcode or can recover it, you can change your own restrictions. For accountability, a trusted person can hold the passcode; for a child, use Family Sharing.

If removing and reinstalling apps is part of the pattern you want to change, review Content & Privacy Restrictions → iTunes & App Store Purchases → Deleting Apps → Don’t Allow. This restriction affects other apps too.

Method 2: Downtime for bedtime and school hours

If the problem is YouTube at the wrong time, try Downtime. It restricts a broader set of apps while letting you choose what remains available.

1. Go to Settings → Screen Time → Downtime.
2. Choose Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow for an immediate break, or enable Scheduled.
3. Choose Every Day or Customize Days, then set the hours. For example, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. covers the bedtime scroll.
4. With a Screen Time passcode set, turn on Block at Downtime. Without it, the reminder can be ignored.
5. Review Always Allowed. Keep essential communication and tools available, and make sure YouTube is not allowed.

Downtime is useful for nights, but less selective than a YouTube-only rule. Apple’s Downtime instructions explain how blocking and allowed apps interact. An App Limit, by comparison, is a daily usage budget rather than a start-and-end schedule.

Method 3: Delete YouTube and restrict reinstalling it

If you want the app off the phone altogether, delete it and then restrict new installations.

1. Touch and hold YouTube, then choose Remove App → Delete App. Removing it only from the Home Screen leaves it in the App Library.
2. Open Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn restrictions on.
3. Choose iTunes & App Store Purchases → Installing Apps → Don’t Allow.
4. Keep the Screen Time settings protected with a passcode.

The tradeoff: this blocks new App Store installations generally, not just YouTube. You may need to allow installations temporarily for another app. If alternative app distribution is available in your region, review those permissions as well. See Apple’s parental controls guide.

Can parents hide YouTube with an age restriction?

Yes, an app age restriction can make apps above the allowed rating unavailable. Open Content & Privacy Restrictions → App Store, Media, Web, & Games → Apps and choose an allowed rating below YouTube’s rating on the child’s device. Older iOS versions may place this under Content Restrictions → Apps.

The US App Store listing currently rates YouTube 13+, so instructions that assume it is always 17+ are outdated. Ratings and menu options can vary. This also restricts other apps above the chosen rating and does not replace a website block.

Method 4: YouTube’s reminders and autoplay settings

YouTube offers useful stopping cues if you still want access to videos. Open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture or You tab, then Settings.

• Take a Break: look under General → Remind me to take a break and choose a reminder frequency. The video pauses until you dismiss the reminder or resume playback.
• Bedtime: look under General → Remind me when it’s bedtime and choose your hours. You can decide whether the reminder interrupts a video or waits until it ends.
• Autoplay: open Settings → Autoplay and switch it off. You can also use the Autoplay switch on a video’s watch screen.

Google’s iPhone instructions currently place Take a Break and Bedtime under General; some app layouts group time-related controls differently. Check the labels in your version.

These reminders can be dismissed. Turning off Autoplay stops a related video starting automatically after the current one ends, but it does not block you from choosing another video or scrolling Shorts. Use these controls alongside Screen Time when you want a stronger boundary.

For parents, YouTube’s supervised-account settings also let you disable Autoplay so the child cannot turn it back on. That is different from changing your own setting.

Method 5: Block YouTube by location with Focus Fence

If your lunch break disappears into Shorts, the rule you need may be: “YouTube is unavailable at work, then available when I leave.” Apple’s App Limits and Downtime do not include a geographic trigger. A location-based blocker can make arrival at a place start the restriction.

That is what Focus Fence’s location-based blocking is built for. Set a boundary around your school, office, gym, or another place, then choose the apps to block. The radius is adjustable; the 160-meter fence shown on our landing page is an example, not a fixed size.

1. Install Focus Fence and enable the requested Screen Time and location permissions.
2. Open Focus Fence, choose YouTube in your blocking selection, and set your location and radius.
3. Add a schedule if the boundary should apply only during certain hours.
4. Review strict mode and the limited Emergency Unblock options, then enable the fence.
5. Check that YouTube is blocked inside the active fence and available again after leaving, assuming no other restriction is active.

The current App Store listing describes adjustable fences, schedules, and temporary Emergency Unblock. Location detection depends on iOS and permissions, so treat a fence as a practical boundary rather than an exact, instant line at a doorway.

Focus Fence is useful for someone who wants help following their own rule. It should not be presented as a tamper-proof parental control. For a child’s phone, start with Apple’s family controls and test the complete setup together.

Also block youtube.com in Safari

Blocking the app alone can leave a browser route open. Add the website explicitly:

1. Go to Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions.
2. Open App Store, Media, Web, & Games → Web Content. On older iOS versions, look under Content Restrictions → Web Content.
3. Select Limit Adult Websites.
4. Under Never Allow, add youtube.com, www.youtube.com, m.youtube.com, and the short-link domain youtu.be.
5. Try a normal YouTube link, a Shorts link, and a shared youtu.be link in Safari and any other available browser.

This also enables Apple’s broader adult-content filter; review any unrelated sites it affects. The menu path is documented in Apple’s web content restriction instructions.

Also test embedded YouTube players on sites you use. A blocked main website is not proof that every embedded player or another app’s video access is covered. If you need YouTube for school, check whether the restriction also interrupts required lessons before settling on an all-day block.

Can you block YouTube Shorts without blocking everything?

Screen Time App Limits restricts YouTube as a whole; it cannot separate Shorts from tutorials inside the app. YouTube now offers its own Shorts-specific control:

1. Sign in to the YouTube app and open You → Settings → Time management.
2. Choose Shorts feed limit.
3. Select a daily allowance, including zero if you want to stop using the feed.

Google’s Shorts feed limit instructions say that a self-set limit can be dismissed or ignored. It is a useful prompt, not an unbreakable block.

For a supervised account, a parent can instead open Family Center → child’s account → Time management and set the daily Shorts limit. Google says this prevents further scrolling in the Shorts feed for the rest of the day once reached, with zero available as an option. See its parental control instructions.

These are controls for the Shorts feed. Test the supervised account’s behavior and other viewing routes; do not assume a feed limit blocks all short videos everywhere.

Comparing your options

The right choice depends on whether you need a daily budget, a schedule, a location boundary, or a pause before opening YouTube. Paid offers vary by storefront; check the linked provider before buying.

Opal is worth considering if reports and scheduled sessions help you stick to a routine. Its official location-blocking discussion explains the Apple Focus and Shortcuts route. Focus Fence puts geographic fences directly in the app.

ScreenZen is a strong free option if you want detailed control over limits and opening delays. Its separate Halo device adds proximity-based blocking. one sec is useful for interrupting the habitual tap, and it also offers full blocking sessions; it is not limited to gentle reminders.

For a broader comparison, read our best app blocker guide, Focus Fence vs. Opal, and Focus Fence vs. ScreenZen.

Blocking YouTube at school, work, and bedtime

At school

A fence can keep casual viewing out of a study session even when arrival and departure times vary. If a class uses YouTube lessons, plan access for those lessons instead of blocking the whole school day. For parents managing a child’s device, use Screen Time through Family Sharing as the foundation and keep necessary school and communication apps available.

At work

Use a work fence if YouTube is a distraction whenever you are at the office. If tutorials are part of your job, choose focused work periods for the block and leave time for planned viewing. If you work from home, add working hours to your Focus Fence so it does not cover your evenings too. Our guide to blocking apps at work but not after work explains that pattern.

At bedtime

A Downtime schedule with Block at Downtime enabled is a useful free starting point. Turn off YouTube Autoplay too, so finishing a video does not automatically start another one. An App Limit controls total daily use, so it does not specifically target bedtime and its allowance resets each day. A scheduled blocker is more suitable when you want YouTube unavailable throughout a particular overnight window.

Frequently asked questions

Does Screen Time really block YouTube, or just warn me?

With a Screen Time passcode and Block at End of Limit enabled, App Limits restricts YouTube after its daily allowance is used. A one-minute limit still allows that first minute, and extra-time options can depend on the setup. Test both the app and the website on the actual iPhone.

Can my kid bypass Screen Time limits?

Extra-time requests, access to the Screen Time passcode, website access, and other devices can leave gaps. Manage a child’s limits through Family Sharing, keep the passcode private, review installation and deletion permissions, and test the app, browsers, and embedded players. A setup should not be described as impossible to bypass.

Does blocking the YouTube app also block youtube.com in Safari?

Do not assume selecting YouTube in App Limits covers the website. In Web Content, choose Limit Adult Websites and add youtube.com, www.youtube.com, m.youtube.com, and youtu.be under Never Allow. Test Safari and any other available browsers, including shared links and embedded players.

Will my App Limit apply on my iPad and Mac too?

Yes. Turn on Share Across Devices in Screen Time to share limits and schedules across devices signed in to the same Apple Account. If it is off, each device keeps its own Screen Time settings.

Can I block YouTube only at school or work, but keep it at home?

Yes, with a location-based blocker such as Focus Fence. Choose YouTube, set a Focus Fence around school or work, and enable the required permissions. You can add a schedule to the fence. Apple’s App Limits and Downtime do not provide a geographic trigger on their own.

Do YouTube’s Take a Break and Bedtime reminders block viewing?

No. They prompt you to stop, but you can dismiss them and continue watching. Turning off Autoplay stops the next related video from starting automatically; it does not block manual viewing or the Shorts feed. Use these settings as a supplement to a stronger restriction if needed.

What is the best completely free way to block YouTube on iPhone?

Start with Apple Screen Time: select YouTube in App Limits, set a one-minute daily allowance, enable Block at End of Limit, and protect the settings with a passcode. Add website restrictions too. For no installed YouTube app, delete it and restrict new app installations, which also affects other apps.

Can I block only YouTube Shorts on iPhone?

YouTube has a Shorts feed limit under You → Settings → Time management, including a zero option. A self-set limit is dismissible. Parents can set a supervised account’s Shorts feed limit through Family Center to stop further feed scrolling once it is reached. Screen Time itself blocks the whole YouTube app.

For device syncing, see Apple’s Share Across Devices instructions.

Make the place the cue

Ready for a quieter phone?

If your problem is where you lose focus, try Focus Fence and draw your first boundary around that place.

Written by Dean, the guy who made Focus Fence. I read every email at hello@getfocusphone.com.