YouTube Parental Controls In 2026: The Complete Guide
David Roberts
Founder and CEO - ReVerb
10.25.2026
A calm, tested guide to YouTube parental controls in 2026: YouTube Kids, supervised accounts, Restricted Mode, what each one blocks and what it cannot do.
In 2026 there are three real ways to set parental controls on YouTube, and they suit different ages. YouTube Kids is a separate app with its own content levels and a timer, a supervised account puts your child on the main YouTube with one of three content settings, and Restricted Mode is a light filter you switch on per browser or device. None of the three is a wall, so pick the one that matches your child’s age and tell them you have turned it on.
What This Guide Covers
The Three Routes To YouTube Parental Controls In 2026
Route One: YouTube Kids
Route Two: A Supervised YouTube Account
Route Three: Restricted Mode
Comparing The Three Routes
Age Estimation And Built In Teen Protections
What Happens When Your Child Turns 13
How To Turn Restricted Mode Or Supervision Off
Talking To Your Child About The Settings You Choose
Troubleshooting YouTube Parental Controls
Frequently Asked Questions
The Short Version
The Three Routes To YouTube Parental Controls In 2026
Most parents arrive here after one specific video, then discover YouTube has no master switch. It has three separate systems, built at different times for different ages.
YouTube Kids is a standalone app with its own curated library. Content is grouped into age levels, search can be switched off, and there is a built in timer. It suits roughly ages 12 and under, and it is the only route that keeps the whole of YouTube out of reach.
A supervised account puts your child on ordinary YouTube, signed into their own Google Account, with a content setting you choose and controls you manage from a dashboard called Family Center. It is the route for children who have outgrown the Kids app but are still under 13, and a separate consent based version now exists for teenagers of 13 and over.
Restricted Mode is the oldest and lightest option. It hides videos YouTube’s systems judge to be potentially mature, and hides comments. It applies to a browser or device rather than a person, which is both its convenience and its weakness.
Two honest points before the steps. Each of these is a filter, not a guarantee, and Google says so in its own documentation. And none is covert: your child will notice, which is a feature rather than a problem. Our piece on screen time and strategies for balance points the same way Google’s family guidance does. Settings you have explained work better than settings you have hidden. If YouTube is one of several apps you are locking down, our guide to how to set up parental controls covers the device level layer that sits underneath all three routes below.
Route One: YouTube Kids
YouTube Kids is the strongest filter available, because the app does not contain most of YouTube.
Set Up A YouTube Kids Profile
You need a Google Account verified as belonging to an adult of 18 or over. One account holds up to eight child profiles.
Install and open the YouTube Kids app, then tap the profile picker.
Select your Google Account and confirm it is you.
Enter your child’s name, age and birth month.
Read the parental consent information and continue.
Choose a content setting from the four options below.
Settings reopen from the icon in the corner of the app. To get in you solve the multiplication problem shown, or enter a custom passcode. Setting your own passcode is worth two minutes, because a competent nine year old can do multiplication.
Choose A Content Level
Setting
Age guidance
What your child gets
Preschool
Ages 4 and under
Videos that encourage creativity, playfulness, learning and exploration, with results limited to this age group
Younger
Ages 5 to 8
Songs, cartoons, crafts and similar, with results limited to content for ages 8 and under
Older
Ages 9 to 12
Adds music videos, gaming and science, with results limited to content recommended for ages 12 and under
Approve content yourself
Any age
Only the videos, channels and collections you have approved. Search is switched off
Google is explicit that the automated systems behind the three age levels are not perfect and that some unsuitable videos slip through. Approve content yourself is the only setting that removes that risk, and you become the curator in exchange.
Turn Search On Or Off
Search is the biggest lever in the app. With it on, your child can look for anything and the app filters results. With it off, they see only videos and channels YouTube Kids has verified.
Open Settings in the YouTube Kids app.
Solve the multiplication problem or enter your passcode.
Select your child’s profile.
Turn the search setting off.
Block A Video Or A Channel
From the home screen, tap More next to the video, then tap Block this video.
From the watch page, tap More at the top of the video, tap BLOCK, then choose Block this video only or Block entire channel.
Enter the numbers shown on screen, or your custom passcode.
Google’s caveat matters. Blocking a channel blocks only content uploaded to that channel, not the same video reuploaded elsewhere and not similar channels. It prunes, it does not build a wall.
Set The Timer
Open Settings and enter the passcode.
Select Set Timer.
Use the slider or the plus and minus buttons to choose a length.
Tap START TIMER.
When time runs out the app shows a “Time’s up!” message and locks. A parent reopens Settings, confirms the passcode, and either exits the timer or starts a fresh session. There is no bedtime schedule inside YouTube Kids, so a nightly cutoff has to be set at device level in Family Link, your device’s own screen time controls, or one of the best screen time apps.
Route Two: A Supervised YouTube Account
Your child uses the real YouTube with their own signed in Google Account, and you decide how much they see. There are two versions, and they work differently.
Set Up Supervision For A Child Under 13
Your child needs a Google Account you manage through Family Link. There are four ways in.
In the Family Link app, sign in, select your child, then go to Controls, then YouTube, then YouTube and YouTube Music, and follow the on screen instructions.
Or in the YouTube app on your own device, sign in, open Settings, go to Family Center and choose to add a kid account.
Or go to families.youtube.com, sign in as parent manager, select a child from your family group and follow the steps.
Or on your child’s device, sign into YouTube, YouTube Music, or YouTube on a smart TV with their account, select GET STARTED, and enter your parent password.
Choose One Of The Three Content Settings
Content setting
Google’s description
Comments
Older kids
Generally aligns with content ratings for viewers 9+. Vlogs, tutorials, gaming, music videos, news and educational content with age appropriate themes
Your child cannot read comments
Teens
Generally aligns with content ratings for viewers 13+. A broader slice of YouTube than Older kids
Can read comments but not write them
Older teens
Generally aligns with content ratings for viewers 16+. Almost everything except videos marked 18+
Can read comments but not write them
Preview each setting before committing. To change it later on a computer: profile picture, Settings, Family Center, Manage kids profiles and features for teens, your child’s profile, then EDIT next to Content Settings.
Autoplay, Shorts And Screen Time
In January 2026 YouTube expanded the time controls for supervised accounts. These are now the most useful settings on the dashboard.
Open Family Center, then Manage kids profiles and features for teens, then your child’s profile.
Switch Disable autoplay on. Your child cannot override it.
Open the Time management tab to set a Shorts feed limit, a daily cap that resets each morning. When it is reached, a message appears and the feed stops scrolling for the day. The limit can be set to zero, switching the Shorts feed off entirely.
In the same tab, set a take a break or bedtime reminder. Both are now customisable rather than fixed.
One behaviour to know: the take a break timer resets if your child closes the app, signs out, switches devices, or pauses for over 30 minutes. It is a prompt, not a hard lock.
Watch History, Search History And Blocking Channels
From the same profile page, switch Pause watch history on so views stop shaping recommendations, switch Pause search history on so searches do the same, and use Clear history to wipe both across every device your child is signed into. Review what has been watched on the My Activity page under YouTube History. You can also block specific channels from Family Center, or by signing in with your parent account on your child’s device.
What A Supervised Account Switches Off
Supervised accounts are read mostly. Google lists channel creation, video uploads, Shorts creation, live streaming, posts, stories, public and unlisted playlists, handles and live chat as unavailable. Channel memberships, merchandise, YouTube Giving donations, movie and TV purchases, Super Chat and YouTube Studio are off, as are incognito, personalised ads, public profile pictures and casting to a TV.
Set Up A Teen Supervised Experience At 13 And Over
For teenagers, YouTube uses a consent based system. Both sides must agree, and it covers what your teenager creates, not what they watch.
The parent signs into YouTube, opens Settings, goes to Family Center, then Manage kids profiles and features for teens, clicks Invite a teen, then Create invite.
The parent shares the QR code or link with the teenager.
Or the teenager starts, using Invite a parent and Create invite in the same menu.
The other person accepts, and supervision features switch on.
The parent then sees a creator dashboard, not a watch log: the channels their teen owns and can upload to, channel details such as handle, bio and subscriber count, counts of public, private and unlisted videos, live streams hosted, comments posted elsewhere, and channels subscribed to. Parents also get notifications at milestones such as uploading a video or a Short, starting a live stream, or changing a video’s privacy settings. It does not filter content or show what your teenager has watched. That is by design.
Route Three: Restricted Mode
Restricted Mode is what most people mean by a parental control on the YouTube app for a shared device. It filters using video titles, descriptions, metadata, Community Guidelines reviews and age restrictions, hides comments entirely, and leaves explicit music visible in listings but unplayable.
Turn Restricted Mode On Or Off On A Computer
Sign in to YouTube.
Click your profile photo in the top right.
Click Restricted Mode.
Choose Activate Restricted Mode, or switch it off the same way.
Turn Restricted Mode On Or Off On Android
Open the YouTube app and sign in.
Tap your profile photo in the top right.
Tap Settings, then General.
Turn Restricted Mode on or off.
Turn Restricted Mode On Or Off On iPhone And iPad
Open the YouTube app and sign in.
Tap your profile photo in the top right.
Tap Settings.
Turn Restricted Mode on or off.
On a smart speaker or display, the setting lives in the Home app under device settings, then Notifications and digital wellbeing, then YouTube settings. On a TV, each app needs its own setting, and YouTube Kids on TV has a four digit parent code that stops household members over 13 signing out or switching accounts.
What Restricted Mode Cannot Do
It works at browser or device level, so you must turn it on in every browser, profile and device, and it does not follow your child around. Google states it is not 100 percent accurate and that filtering quality varies by language and cultural context. It is also not the same as age restriction, which is a label on individual videos.
One exception improves it a lot. If you supervise your child through Family Link, you can enable Restricted Mode for them and they cannot change it on any device they are signed into. Google notes the lock does not apply once your child is over 13, and may not apply in the European Union in certain circumstances. Schools and other network administrators can also enforce it independently.
Comparing The Three Routes
Route
What it blocks
Ages it suits
Can the child undo it?
YouTube Kids
Everything outside a curated children’s library. Search can be switched off, videos and channels blocked, and a timer locks the app
Roughly 3 to 12, and the only realistic choice under 8
No, if you set a custom passcode. The default multiplication puzzle is solvable by older children
Supervised account
Content above your chosen level of Older kids, Teens or Older teens. Also blocks uploads, live chat, writing comments, purchases and casting. Autoplay and Shorts can be capped
9 to 13, plus a consent based version for 13 and over
No for the content setting and autoplay under 13. A teen can end the teen arrangement themselves
Restricted Mode
Videos flagged as potentially mature, plus all comments. Nothing else
Shared family devices, and teenagers with their own accounts
Yes, in two taps, unless locked through Family Link for an under 13 account
Age Estimation And Built In Teen Protections
Since 2025 YouTube has run an age estimation model that works out whether a user is over or under 18 independently of the birthday on the account. Google says it applies in several countries including Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Economic Area.
Accounts estimated as under 18 get protections automatically: age restricted videos blocked, take a break and bedtime reminders on, recommendations limited to avoid repetitive patterns of certain content, safety filters on search, non personalised ads, autoplay off by default, and no podcast RSS feed additions. Creators estimated as under 18 have new uploads set to private by default. An adult misidentified this way can verify age in their Google Account with a government ID, a credit card or a selfie, which is a real privacy decision worth weighing.
For parents, the useful part is that these protections apply on top of anything you set, so a teenager managing their own account is not entirely unprotected.
What Happens When Your Child Turns 13
This is where most family setups quietly stop working. Google emails both the supervising parent and the child around the birthday, with a message titled “Ready to update your Google Account?” Google’s Families documentation says supervision settings remain the same until your child decides to update their account. If they update it and choose to manage it themselves, the supervised experience controls end: Google states that if your child is over 13 and manages their own account, you will not be able to supervise their YouTube experience with those controls.
For YouTube Kids the change is sharper. Once a child with a Google Account reaches 13, or the applicable age in your country, that account can no longer use the YouTube Kids app, and Google warns that videos and channels you previously blocked may become available in the main app. Your child gains all of YouTube’s features, including live streaming, uploading, sharing and commenting.
Family Link supervision of the Google Account is a separate layer, and Google states that children under 18 need parent approval to stop supervision, so device level limits can continue past 13. What ends is the YouTube specific content filtering, unless you replace it with the teen supervised experience. Before the birthday, decide whether you are stepping back or moving to teen supervision, and set expectations about uploading and live streaming, because both switch on at the same moment.
How To Turn Restricted Mode Or Supervision Off
Restricted Mode. Reverse the steps for your platform: on a computer, profile photo, Restricted Mode, off; on Android, profile photo, Settings, General, toggle off; on iPhone and iPad, profile photo, Settings, toggle off. It is per browser and per device, so you may need to repeat it. A greyed out toggle means it is locked through Family Link, where a parent turns it off, or enforced by a network administrator, where nothing in the app will change it.
Supervision of a teen. Either side can end it. In Family Center, open the supervision settings and select Turn off supervision features. It does not end automatically when a teen becomes an adult, so someone has to switch it off deliberately.
Supervision of a child under 13. This cannot simply be switched off, because a Google Account for a child under 13 has to stay supervised. What you can change is the content setting, whether they use YouTube Kids or the main app, and every control in Family Center. Manage it in Family Link under Controls, then YouTube, then YouTube and YouTube Music.
Talking To Your Child About The Settings You Choose
Every control here is visible to the child it applies to. A supervised account looks different from a normal one, YouTube Kids looks nothing like YouTube, and Restricted Mode visibly removes the comment section, so presenting any of it as invisible does not survive contact with a curious eight year old.
Naming the setting and the reason works better, and agreeing a review date turns a restriction into a negotiation with a timetable. Tell your child what to do when the filter misses something, because it will. The same conversation is worth having about every other app on the phone, starting with our guide to TikTok parental controls. The rest of the REVERB blog covers related digital wellbeing ground.
Troubleshooting YouTube Parental Controls
Problem
Likely cause
Fix
Restricted Mode keeps switching itself off
It is set per browser and device, so a new browser, profile or cleared cookie resets it
Turn it on everywhere your child browses. For an under 13 account, lock it through Family Link so it follows the account
Unsuitable videos still appear with a content setting applied
The settings are automated and Google states they are not perfect
Block the channel, drop to a stricter setting, or move a younger child to YouTube Kids with approve content yourself
Your child solved the YouTube Kids parent gate
The default gate is a multiplication problem
Set a custom passcode in YouTube Kids settings
A blocked channel’s videos still show up
Blocking applies to that channel only, not to reuploads or similar channels
Block the additional channels, or switch to a route with a curated library rather than a blocklist
The take a break reminder never fires
The timer resets when the app closes, the account signs out, the device changes, or playback pauses for over 30 minutes
Pair it with a device level screen time limit, which does not reset the same way
Controls vanished around your child’s 13th birthday
The account graduated and your child chose to manage it themselves
Set up a teen supervised experience by mutual invite, and keep any Family Link device limits in place
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Turn Off Restricted Mode On YouTube?
On a computer, click your profile photo, select Restricted Mode, then switch it off. On Android, tap your profile photo, Settings, General, then toggle it off. On iPhone and iPad, tap your profile photo, Settings, then toggle it off. It applies per browser and per device, so repeat it wherever needed. If the toggle will not move, it is locked by Family Link or a network administrator.
What Happens When My Child Turns 13?
Google emails you and your child about updating the account. YouTube Kids stops being available to it, previously blocked videos and channels may become watchable in the main app, and if your child chooses to manage their own account the supervised experience controls end. Family Link supervision of the Google Account can continue, and Google says children under 18 need parent approval to stop supervision.
Can I Block A Specific YouTube Channel?
Yes, on two of the three routes. In YouTube Kids, open the video, tap More, tap BLOCK, then Block entire channel. On a supervised account, block channels from Family Center or by signing in with your parent account on your child’s device. Blocking does not cover reuploads on other channels.
Can My Child Just Turn Restricted Mode Back Off?
On their own account, yes, in two taps. The exception is a child under 13 supervised through Family Link, who cannot change it on any device they are signed into. The parental control on the YouTube app for Android and iOS sits in the Settings menu and behaves the same as the browser version.
Can I Stop My Child Watching Shorts?
On a supervised account, yes. In Family Center, open the Time management tab and set a Shorts feed limit. It is a daily cap that resets each morning and can be set to zero, removing the Shorts feed entirely. There is no equivalent on an unsupervised account.
Does A Supervised Account Let My Child Comment Or Upload?
Uploading is off completely, along with creating a channel, live streaming, posts, stories and Shorts creation. Comments depend on the setting: on Older kids your child cannot read comments at all, and on Teens and Older teens they can read but not write them.
Can I See What My Child Has Watched?
On a supervised account, yes: watch and search history are visible through My Activity under YouTube History, and you can pause or clear both from Family Center. The teen supervised experience shows creator activity, not a watch history.
Can I Supervise A Teenager Who Already Has Their Own Account?
Only with their agreement. The teen supervised experience works by invitation from either side, accepted by the other, and either can end it in Family Center. There is no way to impose the under 13 content settings on an account a teenager manages themselves.
The Short Version
Under 8, use YouTube Kids, set a custom passcode, and consider turning search off. Ages 9 to 12, choose between YouTube Kids on the Older level and a supervised account on Older kids, and preview both first. Ages 13 and up, content filtering runs out, so your realistic tools are Restricted Mode on shared devices, device level limits, and a teen supervised experience if your teenager agrees.
Whichever route you take, switch autoplay off, set a Shorts cap if the option exists, expect the filter to miss things, and tell your child what you have turned on and why. The settings are the easy part. The conversation keeps working after the birthday that switches the settings off. REVERB publishes regularly on digital wellbeing and online safety.
