Block YouTube on BT Smart Hub (BT Parental Controls Guide)

Block YouTube on your BT broadband using BT Parental Controls, BT Family Protection powered by Norton, and the BT Smart Hub admin panel. Free for BT customers.

Last updated 11 April 2026·
Difficulty🔨🔨🔨
Free
Bypass risk🐹🐹🐹🐹🐹

What You'll Need

  • A BT broadband account (BT Parental Controls are free for BT customers)
  • The My BT app on your phone (iOS or Android) — or access to bt.com on a computer
  • Your BT account login (My BT username and password)
  • About 10–15 minutes

BT offers two complementary parental control systems:

  1. BT Parental Controls (network-level) — blocks content on all devices on your home network via the BT network itself, not the router hardware
  2. BT Smart Hub admin panel — the router web interface at 192.168.1.254 for lower-level settings

Both are free for BT broadband customers.

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BT Parental Controls vs BT Smart Hub settings

BT Parental Controls work at the network level — the filtering happens in BT's infrastructure before traffic even reaches your Smart Hub. This means they apply to all devices on your network automatically, and the Smart Hub admin panel has limited URL filtering by comparison. Start with BT Parental Controls.

Method 1: BT Parental Controls (Recommended — Network Level)

Step 1: Enable BT Parental Controls via My BT

Open the My BT app or go to bt.com/parental-controls

Download the My BT app from the App Store or Play Store, or open a browser and go to bt.com. Sign in with your My BT account.

Navigate to Parental Controls

In the My BT app: tap Broadband → Parental Controls (or search "Parental Controls" in the app).

On the website: go to My BT → Broadband → Manage → Parental Controls.

Turn on BT Parental Controls

Toggle Parental Controls ON. BT will prompt you to confirm with your account password.

Choose a filter level

BT offers preset filter levels:

  • Light — blocks illegal content and adult material
  • Moderate — adds social networking, gambling, and some streaming filters
  • Strict — most restrictive

Select Moderate or Strict to start. YouTube may already be blocked under certain filter levels — test after applying.

Add YouTube as a custom blocked site

After setting the filter level, look for Custom Website Blocking or Manage Custom Filters in the Parental Controls settings.

Add these to the Blocked list:

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

Save your changes.

Test the block

On any device on your BT Wi-Fi, try opening youtube.com. It should show a BT Parental Controls blocked page.

Step 2: BT Family Protection (Powered by Norton)

BT also offers BT Family Protection, powered by Norton. This is an optional free add-on for BT customers that adds per-device controls and more granular category filtering.

Find BT Family Protection in My BT

In the My BT app or website: go to Add-ons or search for Family Protection. It should show as available to activate at no extra cost (included with BT broadband).

Set up devices under Family Protection

Family Protection lets you create profiles (similar to Xfinity xFi). Create a profile for your child, assign their device(s), and set content restrictions including video streaming blocks.

Block YouTube under video streaming category

In the Family Protection dashboard, the Video Streaming or Social Media category filter, when blocked, will include YouTube. Enable it for your child's profile.

Method 2: BT Smart Hub Admin Panel

For more direct control, you can configure settings on the Smart Hub router itself.

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BT Smart Hub access addresses

  • BT Smart Hub (original): 192.168.1.254
  • BT Smart Hub 2: 192.168.1.254
  • BT Premium Hub: 192.168.1.254

If you can't access the admin panel, try bthub.home in your browser — BT Hubs often respond to this hostname on your local network.

Step 1: Access the Smart Hub Admin Panel

Open a browser on a device connected to your BT Wi-Fi

Use a laptop or desktop for best results.

Go to 192.168.1.254 or bthub.home

Type the address directly into your browser's address bar (not a search engine). You should see the BT Smart Hub login page.

Log in with your admin password

The default admin password is printed on the back or bottom of your BT Smart Hub on a sticker — it's usually labelled "Admin Password" or "Hub Password". It's different from your Wi-Fi password.

If you've changed it and forgotten it, you can factory reset the hub by pressing the reset button for 20 seconds (this also resets your Wi-Fi password, so note it first).

Step 2: Configure Access Control / URL Filtering

Go to Advanced Settings → Home Network → Access Control

Once logged in, look for Advanced Settings → Home Network or Wireless → Access Control.

Find URL or Keyword Filtering

BT Smart Hub admin panels vary by model and firmware. Look for:

  • Parental Controls section
  • URL Filter or Web Filter
  • Keyword Blocking

If your Smart Hub has a URL filter, add:

  • youtube.com
  • youtu.be

Apply to specific devices by MAC address (Smart Hub 2)

The BT Smart Hub 2 supports device-specific access control. Under Access Control → add a new rule → select the device by its MAC address (found in Settings on the device) → block access to specific URLs or block internet access during certain hours.

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Smart Hub URL filtering is limited compared to BT Parental Controls

The BT Smart Hub's built-in URL filtering is basic and less reliable than BT's network-level Parental Controls. If BT Parental Controls are available on your account (they are for all BT broadband customers), use those as your primary method and treat the Smart Hub admin panel as a secondary tool.

Method 3: DNS Filtering (Strongest Backup Method)

Regardless of which BT method you use above, changing the Smart Hub's DNS server to a filtering service adds a redundant layer.

Log into the Smart Hub admin panel at 192.168.1.254

See Method 2, Step 1 above.

Go to Advanced Settings → DNS

Look for WAN settings or DNS settings. On BT Smart Hubs, DNS is often under Advanced → BT DNS or Advanced → Internet Settings.

Change to CleanBrowsing Family DNS

Replace the primary and secondary DNS addresses:

  • Primary: 185.228.168.168
  • Secondary: 185.228.169.168 Save and restart the hub.

Test the block

On any device, visit youtube.com — it should fail to load.

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How Kids Bypass This

Mobile data: BT Parental Controls and Smart Hub filtering only work on your home Wi-Fi. On mobile data, your child's carrier provides DNS. Use Screen Time (iPhone) or Family Link (Android) for mobile coverage.

BT Parental Controls passcode: BT Parental Controls can be disabled by anyone with access to your My BT account. Keep your My BT password secure and change it if you suspect your child knows it.

DNS override on the device: If your child changes the DNS on their device (e.g. using Android's Private DNS or iOS's Wi-Fi DNS settings), they can bypass the router-level DNS filtering. Set DNS filtering directly on the device as well, or use BT's network-level Parental Controls (which operate above the DNS layer and are harder to bypass at the device level).

HTTPS and SNI: Modern BT Parental Controls inspect HTTPS traffic using SNI (Server Name Indication) without decrypting content. This is effective for blocking youtube.com by hostname. However, some devices or browsers using Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) may circumvent SNI inspection. This is an edge case for consumer devices in 2025 but worth knowing.

VPNs: A VPN on a device bypasses all network-level filtering. Block VPN app installation via Screen Time or Family Link.

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Counter-Measures

BT Parental Controls + DNS = two independent layers: BT's network filtering and a DNS filter (CleanBrowsing on the Smart Hub) use different blocking mechanisms. Both need to be bypassed for YouTube to load — significantly harder.

Check BT Parental Controls monthly: Log into My BT and confirm Parental Controls are still active. BT account changes, service upgrades, or a new hub installation can sometimes reset settings.

Add device-level controls: For children who take their device off your home Wi-Fi (school, friends' houses, mobile data), add Screen Time (iPhone/iPad) or Family Link (Android) to block YouTube on the device itself.

Custom blocked sites list: BT Parental Controls custom blocking is underused. Add not just youtube.com but also youtu.be, music.youtube.com, and any other streaming platforms you want to restrict. The custom list gives you control beyond preset categories.

Related Guides

By Method

Block YouTube with DNS Filtering (All Devices, Home Network)

Use DNS filtering to block YouTube on every device connected to your home Wi-Fi — including smart TVs, game consoles, and anything else. Free options available.

By Device

How to Block YouTube on iPhone (iOS 17 & iOS 18)

Step-by-step guide to block YouTube on iPhone using Screen Time. Works on iOS 17 and iOS 18. Free, no apps needed.

By Device

How to Block YouTube on Android (Google Family Link)

Block YouTube on Android phones and tablets using Google Family Link. Free, works on all Android devices with a child Google account.

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