How to block inappropriate content on Youtube?

To block inappropriate content on YouTube, several methods can be employed:

  1. Restricted Mode: This setting filters out potentially mature content. It needs to be activated on each device and browser separately where YouTube is accessed. To enable, go to your profile icon, then to “Settings” (or “Restricted Mode” directly on desktop), and toggle “Restricted Mode” or “Activate Restricted Mode” to on.
  2. YouTube Kids: This is a separate app designed specifically for children, offering curated age-appropriate videos. Parents can set up individual profiles, choose content levels (Preschool, Younger, Older), and even restrict viewing to only personally approved content.
  3. Supervised Accounts: For children under 13 (or the relevant age in their country), parents can create supervised Google accounts. This allows parents to enforce content settings like “Explore” (ages 9+), “Explore More” (ages 13+), or “Most of YouTube” (most videos except 18+). These accounts also limit features like live streams, comments, and in-app purchases.
  4. Block Specific Channels: Users can manually block channels they deem inappropriate by navigating to a video from that channel, clicking the three dots next to the video title, and selecting “Don’t recommend channel.”
  5. Turn off Autoplay: Disabling the Autoplay feature can prevent unwanted videos from playing automatically after a video ends, giving parents more control over content selection.
  6. Google SafeSearch: Enable SafeSearch for your children’s profiles at families.google.com or via the Family Link app to filter explicit search results on Google and YouTube.
  7. Dismiss Content: Manually dismiss unwanted videos from recommendations by tapping the “More” icon (three vertical dots) next to a video and selecting “Not interested” or “Don’t recommend channel.”
  8. Third-Party Parental Control Apps: Some parental control apps offer comprehensive filtering, screen time limits, and monitoring across various apps and websites, including YouTube.
  9. Apple Screen Time: For Apple devices, parents can use Screen Time to set content and privacy restrictions, prevent explicit content, manage content ratings for media, and limit web content.

It is important to remember that no single filter is 100% effective on its own. It is recommended to combine these technical measures with open discussions with children about online safety and regular monitoring of their viewing habits.