Apple Screen Time — Complete YouTube Blocking Guide (All Apple Devices, 2026)

On your own iPhone or iPad: Settings → tap your name at the top → Family Sharing → Set Up Your Family. Follow the prompts. Family Sharing supports up to 5 family members.

In Family Sharing: Add Member → Create a Child Account. Enter the child's name and date of birth. Apple requires parental consent for child accounts — you'll verify with a payment method (this is not a charge, just identity verification).

Child Apple IDs (under 13 in most countries, under 16 in some EU countries) automatically require parental approval for App Store purchases and in-app purchases, privacy setting changes, and adding new device accounts. Screen Time is automatically enabled and tied to the parent account.

On each Apple device — iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — sign in using the child's Apple ID: Settings → Apple ID. This links the device to your Family Sharing group and brings it under Screen Time management.

On your phone, not the child's: Settings → Screen Time → tap your child's name → Account → Screen Time Passcode. Set a 4-digit code they don't know. Avoid obvious choices (birthdate, 1234, 0000, repeated digits). Store it in a password manager. If you forget the passcode, recovery requires your Apple ID — which is why securing your Apple ID matters (see Part 6).

On your phone: Settings → Screen Time → child's name → Content & Privacy Restrictions → iTunes & App Store Purchases → Installing Apps → Don't Allow. Then delete the YouTube app from their device.

With app installation blocked, they cannot reinstall YouTube from the App Store.

Settings → Screen Time → child's name → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions → Web Content → Limit Adult Websites → Never Allow → Add Website. Add each of the following:

• youtube.com
• youtu.be
• music.youtube.com
• m.youtube.com

With app installation blocked, no new browsers can be installed. Delete any existing alternative browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Brave, etc.) from the device before locking down installation. Safari will have the web filter applied. Other browsers don't honour Screen Time's web content filter — so deleting them is important.

Open System Settings → Screen Time → if managing from your own Mac, switch to the child's account view. Toggle Screen Time ON. Alternatively, manage from your iPhone: Settings → Screen Time → child's name — changes sync across devices.

System Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy → Web Content → Limit Adult Websites → Customise → Never Allow → click + to add:

• youtube.com
• youtu.be
• music.youtube.com

Screen Time → Content & Privacy → App Store → set App Ratings restriction to block installation of apps above the age rating you choose.

Screen Time's web filter in Safari can be bypassed by browsers that use their own DNS-over-HTTPS. For stronger coverage on Mac: the /etc/hosts file can redirect domains to 127.0.0.1 (localhost), blocking them at the OS level regardless of which browser or DNS is used.

To do this: open Terminal → run sudo nano /etc/hosts (requires admin password) → add lines 127.0.0.1 youtube.com and 127.0.0.1 youtu.be on separate lines → save with Control+O then Enter, exit with Control+X → flush the DNS cache by running sudo dscacheutil -flushcache && sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder → make the file read-only with sudo chmod 444 /etc/hosts so it can't be easily edited without admin access.

This is an advanced step and not necessary if the child's Mac account is a standard (non-admin) user account.

On the Apple TV: Settings → General → Restrictions → Enable Restrictions → enter your Screen Time passcode when prompted.

Under App Restrictions, find YouTube → set to Off or Hidden. Off prevents the app from running. Hidden removes it from the home screen entirely.

Settings → Restrictions → App Installation → Off. This prevents new apps from being added from the App Store on that Apple TV.

Settings → Screen Time → child's name → Downtime → toggle Scheduled ON.

Configure From and To times — for example, 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Select Every Day for consistent enforcement, or customise by weekday to allow later screen time on weekends.

Under Screen Time → child's name → Always Allowed, add Phone and Messages so the child can still make emergency calls and contact you during Downtime. Everything else pauses.

The Screen Time Passcode is required to disable or override Downtime. Ensure the passcode is set and they don't know it. Under Downtime settings, make sure requests to extend or ignore Downtime require the passcode.

Settings → Screen Time → child's name → Communication Limits → During Screen Time → set to Contacts Only. They can communicate with anyone in their contacts but not random numbers.

During Downtime → Specific Contacts → add only essential family members: your number, the other parent, grandparents. This ensures they can reach you in emergencies but aren't messaging friends late at night.

Settings → Screen Time → child's name → App Limits → Add Limit → select the Entertainment category (or find YouTube specifically if it appears as a separate app) → set a daily time limit (e.g., 1 hour).

When the time limit is reached, the app locks and a Screen Time passcode is required to continue. Your child can send an Ask for More Time request — you'll receive a notification to approve or deny it.

Under App Limits → require Screen Time Passcode to change or ignore limits. This prevents the child from simply dismissing the lock without your approval.

Content & Privacy Restrictions → Account Changes → Don't Allow. This prevents signing out of iCloud, creating a new Apple ID on the device, and modifying the Apple ID account from the device. Without this, a child could sign in with a different unmanaged Apple ID and bypass all restrictions.

Content & Privacy Restrictions → VPN & Device Management → Don't Allow VPN Configurations. VPN apps create network profiles that route traffic around Screen Time's web filter. This setting prevents those profiles from being installed.

Content & Privacy Restrictions → Cellular Data Changes → Don't Allow. Prevents disabling cellular data tracking or modifying data settings in ways that could interfere with parental controls.

Content & Privacy Restrictions → Location Services → Don't Allow Changes. Keeps Find My active so you can see device location. Prevents turning off location services to hide activity.

The Screen Time passcode can be recovered using your Apple ID. If your child knows your Apple ID email and password, they can go through the Forgot Screen Time Passcode flow and reset all restrictions themselves.

Protect your Apple ID: use a long, unique password stored in a password manager. Enable two-factor authentication. Ensure the trusted device for 2FA is one they don't have access to (your phone, not theirs). Never save your Apple ID password somewhere they can find it.