How to Put Parental Control to Block Adult Content on YouTube

YouTube is a fantastic resource for discovering new and entertaining stuff. Whatever your preferences are, YouTube has a channel for you. We did, however, come across a lot of NSFW (Not Safe/suitable for work) films on YouTube more often than not. There are different genres of videos on YouTube, with more than 300 hours of video added every minute. Let’s take some steps to put parental control to block adult content on YouTube mobile and PC both.

In general, there are two types of NSFW (Not Safe/suitable for work) videos on YouTube.

1. Adult videos that meet YouTube’s terms and conditions, such as delivery, breastfeeding, or films with nudity from an artistic standpoint.

2. Videos that are unlawfully uploaded on YouTube, such as hate speech, public violence, terrorist organization beheading videos, and so on.

Put Parental Control to Block Adult Content on YouTube

Although there are no foolproof ways to prevent pornographic content on the YouTube app or website, there are a few things you can do to keep your children safe on the site.

Parental Controls on the Official YouTube App

While we advocate utilizing the YouTube Kids app for greater parental control, if you are trapped with the YouTube app for whatever reason, there are a few options you can modify to ensure that all objectionable videos submitted on YouTube are removed.

Restricted Mode is a feature on YouTube that automatically hides videos that may contain improper content that has been detected by users or other signals. Although in my experience, it is far from ideal, it is critical to turn it on if you have children at home. By turning the restricted mode on, it will block adult content on YouTube.

1. Turn on the Restricted Mode

Tap the three vertical dots in the upper right-hand corner of the YouTube app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. After that, go to Settings > General > Restricted Mode Filtering > toggle Strict.

One major flaw with the restricted mode is that, just as you switched it on, anyone may turn it off with a single button click. There is no pin or password protection to ensure that children do not disable them, either intentionally or unintentionally.

On the desktop version of YouTube, you must input your Google login to switch off limited mode; however, there is no such option on the YouTube app. This restricted mode is also supported by crowdsourced data and a few contract-based companies who manually mark each video after viewing it. And manually flagging each video on a network where 300 hours of video are posted every minute is ineffective.

2. Turn Off Auto Play

By turning off Autoplay, no unsuitable content will be able to get past the algorithms. For instance, a few years ago, typing “Elsa and Anna” into YouTube’s search resulted in a list of relevant videos. However, after clicking on a couple of the top search results, the connected videos that appeared next to it were clearly not suitable for children.

Simply click the blue autoplay button in the top right-hand corner of the YouTube player to turn off AutoPlay on YouTube online. On Android and iOS, however, the autoplay feature is hidden on the settings page. Tap on your profile photo in the top right corner of the YouTube app > Settings > Autoplay > tap on Autoplay on Home and toggle Off.

3. Sign out of Your Google Account

This approach will handle all of YouTube’s legal yet NSFW videos. If you have to use the official YouTube app for whatever reason, it’s best to log out of your Google account.

When a creator uploads an NSFW video that contains any sort of nudity or bad language but is intended for educational purposes, they must check to mark the 18+ age permission box. If you are not logged into your Google account, even if your child hits on the video thumbnail by accident, the clip will not play and will prompt them to sign in.

Parental Controls on YouTube Kids

To get beyond the limited mode’s limitations, lock all other apps and just use the YouTube Kids app. This is a kid-friendly version of YouTube that includes videos from Sesame Street, National Geographic Kids, and PBS Kids, among others.

The timer is one of the elements that makes the program ideal for children. Before handing the phone over to your youngster, set a timer for 30 minutes. When the timer expires, the app will immediately lock.

The built-in parental controls features in YouTube Kids (Android | iOS) are the finest part. For example, parents can turn off the search on a child’s profile, which will only show videos curated by people rather than those selected by AI.

You may also go to Settings > Child’s profile and select approved content only to explicitly whitelist movies or channels that you want your kids to access. After that, begin adding videos and channels for your children. This way you can block adult content on YouTube for Kids.

Parental Control on Mobile Phone

Finally, rather than using the YouTube app, consider setting parental controls on the entire phone. A parental control tool allows you to restrict screen time and monitor your child’s smartphone behavior from afar.

We’ve previously discussed some fantastic parental control apps for Android and iOS; nevertheless, if I had to choose one, I’d go with Google’s Family Link.

Install the Google Family Link app (Android, iOS) on your children’s devices and the Family Link for parents app (Android, iOS) on the device you’ll be administering the account on to get started. To set up the app on both your child’s and your account, follow the on-screen directions.

Once everything is in place, you may establish a daily time limit, such as one hour, which means your children can only use the gadgets for that amount of time. Apps like Play Store and Google Chrome can also be blocked. And, best of all, you can track their location from your Family Link for Parents app.

Closing Remarks: Parental Controls on YouTube App

So there you have it: a few options for setting up parental controls on YouTube. Finally, no software will help you if you are not properly parenting your children. Talk to your kids about what they’re watching on YouTube at the dinner table every now and again. While you’re at it, give them some recommendations for what you watched as a kid. Remind children that if they come across any unpleasant content on YouTube, they should seek help from an adult nearby. If you follow the steps shown above, you can easily block adult content on YouTube for your kids.

Your next read: How to Loop YouTube Videos on Mobile & PC.