How to block YouTube Kids on your child’s iPhone or iPad

You have a couple of easy options to block the usage of the YouTube Kids app on your child’s iPhone or iPad if you don’t want them to view the content available there.

First off, unlike the main YouTube app, YouTube Kids or YT Kids (in theory) only has content for children: Preschool (ages 4 and under), Younger (ages 5 to 8), and Older (ages 9 to 12).

YouTube does a good job of showing appropriate kid-friendly content in the YT Kids app. However, like all algorithm-based systems, it can occasionally make mistakes.

Now, what’s suitable for a child can vary based on parents’ beliefs, but if I were to talk about myself, I have noticed at times that the YouTube Kids app can surface inappropriate content, which I wouldn’t want my child to watch until he is at least 16. And unless you’re signed into the app with your Google account, there is no way to hide or block such videos from the feed!

So, whether your child spends too much time in the YouTube app or if you don’t want them to use it because of personal reasons, here’s what you can do to restrict usage on their iPhone or iPad.

Delete YT Kids and block new app downloads

It involves deleting the YouTube Kids app and then blocking all new app downloads on your child’s iOS device. As you may have figured out, this means your child can’t download any new app, including ones that may be useful to them. However, if you’ve already set up their iPhone or iPad with all the apps you want them to use, you can follow these steps without much worry. And in case you need to install a new app on their device, you can temporarily turn off the restrictions.

1) Delete the YouTube Kids app on your child’s phone.

2) Go to the Settings app on their iPhone or iPad and tap Screen Time.

3) Tap Lock Screen Time Settings, create a Screen Time passcode that’s different from the device passcode, and don’t share this code with your child. If you see “Change Screen Time Passcode,” that means a passcode is already in place. Reset it if you don’t remember it.

4) Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on from the next screen. Then, tap iTunes & App Store Purchases.

5) Tap Installing Apps and select Don’t Allow.

The above steps block new app downloads on this device. And since the YouTube Kids app is already deleted, your child won’t be able to re-download it (or any other app) from the App Store.

But if you only want to revoke their YouTube Kids rights while allowing them to download new apps from the App Store, consider the two methods mentioned below.

Set a one-minute time limit for the YouTube Kids app

The YouTube Kids app has a built-in timer for parents, which you can set between 1 and 60 minutes. Once the timer ends, the app will be blocked for the rest of the day or until you enter the parental code to bypass the timer.

1) Open the YT Kids app, tap the gear settings icon at the top, and solve a basic math question to enter.

2) Tap Set custom passcode and create a 4-digit code. Don’t disclose it to your child.

3) Now, tap Set timer from the top.

4) Since your goal is to block the app usage, set the timer to just 1 minute and hit Start Timer.

5) The app will auto-lock after only one minute of use. But if you want them to use the app, tap the gear icon and enter your parental passcode.

Use Screen Time to set a limit

As explained above, YT Kids already has a built-in timer system to limit usage. Additionally, iOS also has a system-wide app limit feature that lets you set a daily limit for any app. You can use it to set a limit on YT Kids and other such apps. The entire process is explained here: set a limit for time spent in iPhone and iPad apps.

Hide the app from the Home Screen

After setting a one-minute timer, touch and hold the YT Kids app icon on your child’s iPhone or iPad Home Screen, then tap Remove App > Remove from Home Screen. This will ensure the app isn’t in their direct sight but hidden away in the App Library.

What doesn’t work?

The above solutions are the easiest and most practical ways to stop your child from watching YouTube Kids.

Additionally, you can try locking the app using iOS’s native app lock feature, but since the device belongs to your child, they probably know its passcode, and hence, this app locking method won’t be a deterrent.

Secondly, iOS allows you to block the installation of apps based on their age rating. This is one of the methods to block the main YouTube app on your child’s iPhone, as it has a rating of 13+. So, you can ask iOS only to allow apps with ratings of 9 and below, which will exclude YouTube. However, YT Kids has the age rating of 4+, which is the minimum, and thus, you can’t use the Screen Time age-rating feature to block its installation.

What’s your reason for blocking YT Kids on your child’s iPhone or iPad?

Also, check out: 15 child-focused features on iPhone and iPad

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/10/03/how-to-block-youtube-kids-iphone-ipad/