--- title: "How to Block YouTube on iPhone: 4 Ways (iOS 27)" description: "Block YouTube on iPhone in 2 minutes with a Screen Time Time Allowance (iOS 27) or App Limit (iOS 26) and a passcode. Plus YouTube's remind me to take a break." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps/youtube lang: en-gb published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # How to block YouTube on iPhone > Screen Time can block YouTube in 2 minutes. The passcode is what keeps the block in place. Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - 31 Oct 2026 ## Quick answer On iOS 27, go to Settings -> Screen Time -> Time Allowances, make a category with just YouTube, and drag its allowance to the lowest time. Then set a Screen Time passcode so the limit sticks. It takes about 2 minutes. On iOS 26, use App Limits instead. YouTube also has its own control: Remind me to take a break. - **Fastest way:** Screen Time -> Time Allowances (App Limits on iOS 26). - **Make it stick:** Set a Screen Time passcode. - **Own controls:** Remind me to take a break. - **Website:** Block youtube.com too, or it's a way around the block. - **iOS version:** Any recent iOS - **Time needed:** About 2 minutes - **Difficulty:** Easy - **Needs an app?:** No - **Reversible?:** Yes, with the passcode - **Deletes data?:** No Screen Time can block YouTube on any recent iOS, and YouTube has 3 controls of its own. iOS 27 renamed the main Screen Time tool, so you get both the iOS 27 and iOS 26 steps. We checked the iOS steps against Apple's iOS 27 documentation and YouTube's settings against its official help pages in October 2026. ## Method 1: Give YouTube a Time Allowance (iOS 27) iOS 27 replaced App Limits with Time Allowances, which you set per category. Make a category that holds only YouTube, and the allowance applies to YouTube alone. 1. **Open Time Allowances** Go to Settings -> Screen Time -> Time Allowances. 2. **Make a category for YouTube** Tap Manage Categories, tap the add button, and create a category that contains only YouTube. 3. **Set the allowance** Tap the new category and drag the slider to the lowest daily time. 4. **Set a Screen Time passcode** Go to Settings -> Screen Time -> Passcode & Management -> Lock Screen Time Settings and enter a four-digit passcode twice. Apple says that if an app declares an associated website, its Time Allowance covers the website too. ### On iOS 26: App Limits Go to **Settings -> Screen Time -> App Limits -> Add Limit**, tap the category that holds YouTube, select YouTube, tap **Next**, set the time, then tap **Done**. Set a Screen Time passcode so the limit can't simply be ignored. **What this does not do:** without a Screen Time passcode, whoever holds the phone can change the limit. ## Method 2: YouTube's own limits and parental controls ### Remind me to take a break Go to **Profile picture -> Settings -> General -> Remind me to take a break**. Turn it on and choose how often YouTube reminds you to take a break. A bedtime reminder is also available on iPhone, but not iPad. ### Restricted Mode Go to **Profile photo -> Settings -> General -> Restricted Mode**. Filters out potentially mature videos in the app. ### Supervised teen accounts A parent and teen can link their accounts. The parent can then see the teen's channel activity and set take-a-break and bedtime reminders from Family Center. These controls live inside YouTube, so they can be changed by whoever is signed in. Pair them with a Screen Time passcode. ## Method 3: Block youtube.com in Safari A blocked app can still be used in a browser. Screen Time can block the website as well. - **On a child's iPhone (iOS 27):** from your iPhone, go to **Settings -> Family -> [child] -> Apps & Websites**, select the website and tap **Block Website**. - **On iOS 26:** go to **Settings -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions -> App Store, Media, Web, & Games -> Web Content**, choose **Limit Adult Websites**, tap **Add Website** under **Never Allow** and enter youtube.com. Other browsers may need their own settings, so restrict those apps too. ## A softer option: lock YouTube with Face ID If you only want to stop other people opening YouTube, lock it instead: touch and hold YouTube and tap **Require Face ID**. See [all YouTube's privacy settings](/en-gb/apps/youtube). ## Which way to block YouTube should you use? | Situation | Best option | |---|---| | A child or teen using your Family Sharing group | Screen Time set up from your iPhone, with a Screen Time passcode | | You want to cut your own use | A Time Allowance of 15-30 minutes, without a passcode | | Block it as fully as possible | The lowest Time Allowance plus a Screen Time passcode | | Stop the website version too | Block youtube.com as a website | | Stop others opening it, not you | Require Face ID | ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I block YouTube on my iPhone? Yes. On iOS 27, give YouTube its own Time Allowance in Screen Time and set it as low as it goes. On iOS 26, use App Limits. Then set a Screen Time passcode so nobody can change the limit without it. ### How do I block YouTube on my child's iPhone? Set up Screen Time for your child through Family Sharing, then add the Time Allowance or restriction from your own iPhone. Use a Screen Time passcode your child doesn't know. YouTube's Remind me to take a break adds controls inside the app. ### Will blocking YouTube delete it? No. A Screen Time limit or restriction only stops YouTube from opening. The app, its data and your account stay as they are. Remove the limit or restriction to use YouTube again. Only Delete App removes it from the iPhone. ### Can a blocked YouTube still be used in a browser? It can be, unless the website is blocked too. On a child's iPhone, block youtube.com from Settings -> Family. On iOS 26, add it under Never Allow in Web Content. Other browsers may need their own settings, so restrict those apps as well. ### How do I unblock YouTube? Go to Settings -> Screen Time, open Time Allowances (App Limits on iOS 26) or Content & Privacy Restrictions, and remove the limit or turn the app back on. You'll need the Screen Time passcode. For a child's iPhone, make the change from the parent's device. ## Bottom line A Screen Time Time Allowance limits YouTube in about 2 minutes. The Screen Time passcode is what makes the block stick. Block youtube.com too, or the website is a way around it. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Set schedules and Time Allowances on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/set-schedules-and-time-allowances-iphb0c7313c9/ios) - [Apple Support: Create, change, or remove a Screen Time passcode on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/create-change-remove-a-screen-time-passcode-iph272b4c4bd/ios) - [Apple Support: Block features or content with Screen Time on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-features-or-content-with-screen-time-iph3ff83f3b1/ios) - [Apple Support (iOS 26): Set app limits with Screen Time](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphb0c7313c9/26.0/ios/26.0) - [Apple Support (iOS 26): Block content with Screen Time](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iph3ff83f3b1/26.0/ios/26.0) - [YouTube Help: Browse YouTube while incognito on mobile devices](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9040743?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS) - [YouTube Help: View or delete your YouTube search history (iPhone & iPad)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57711?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS) - [YouTube Help: Change playlist privacy setting (iPhone & iPad)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3127309?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS) - [YouTube Help: Take a break reminder (iPhone & iPad)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9012523?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS) ## More YouTube privacy guides - [How to hide YouTube on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/youtube) - [YouTube privacy on iPhone: every setting](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/youtube) ## Block apps for other apps - [How to block Instagram on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps/instagram) - [How to block Snapchat on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps/snapchat) - [How to block TikTok on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps/tiktok) - [How to block Facebook on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps/facebook) - [How to block Discord on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps/discord) - [How to block Pinterest on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps/pinterest) - [All block-app guides](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps) --- Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000