How to Block YouTube on Sony Smart TV (Google TV & Android TV, 2026)

Block YouTube on a Sony Smart TV running Google TV or Android TV. Use a PIN lock, restricted profile, or Google Family Link. Free. Updated for 2026.

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

What You'll Need

  • Your Sony Smart TV remote
  • A Google account you control (for Google TV models)
  • About 15 minutes

Sony Smart TVs from 2021 onwards run Google TV. Earlier models (2018–2020) run Android TV. Both platforms support parental controls — but the approach differs significantly between them.

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Which platform does your Sony TV run?

Check your remote: Google TV remotes have a Google TV logo or a dedicated Google Assistant button. Android TV remotes typically have a Google Play logo. You can also go to Settings → Device Preferences → About — the operating system will be listed there.

Method A: Google TV (Sony 2021 and later)

Google TV supports supervised Google accounts (via Google Family Link) which restrict YouTube access directly through Google's systems.

Part A1: Set Up a Supervised Account

On your phone, open Google Family Link

Download the Google Family Link app (free, iOS and Android) and sign in with your Google account. Create a supervised account for your child if you haven't already.

On the Sony TV, go to Settings → Accounts & Sign-in

Press the Settings (gear) icon → Accounts & Sign-in → Add Account.

Sign in with your child's supervised Google account

Enter their supervised Google account credentials. The TV will link to Family Link.

Switch the active profile to the supervised account

Press Home → tap the profile icon (top right) → select your child's account.

Part A2: Block YouTube via Family Link

Open Family Link on your phone

Select your child's account → Controls → Content restrictions → Google TV.

Set app permissions for YouTube

Under App permissions, find YouTube and set it to Block or require approval.

Set a purchase and download PIN

In Family Link → Controls → Google Play purchase approvals → set all purchases and free downloads to Require approval. This prevents your child from downloading a different YouTube client.

Part A3: Enable Parental Controls on the TV directly

Go to Settings → Parental Controls

Press Settings (gear) → System → Parental Controls. Toggle parental controls On and set a PIN.

Set content maturity ratings

Under App maturity ratings, restrict app downloads based on maturity. YouTube is rated for teens and above — setting ratings to All ages or 7+ prevents the standard YouTube app from being installed. YouTube Kids is rated for all ages and will still be available.

Method B: Android TV (Sony 2018–2020)

Android TV supports a Restricted Profile — a locked-down launcher with only whitelisted apps. Note that Sony has removed this feature from some later Android TV firmware versions. If the Restricted Profile option isn't visible in your Settings, use Method B2 (PIN lock) instead, and pair it with router DNS filtering.

Part B1: Create a Restricted Profile

Go to Settings → Device Preferences → Security & Restrictions

Press Home → Settings → Device Preferences → Security & Restrictions → Restricted Profile.

Set a profile PIN

Tap Set PIN and choose a 4-digit code your child does not know. This PIN is required to exit the restricted profile.

Configure allowed apps

In the Restricted Profile setup screen, you'll see a list of all installed apps. Toggle each app On (allowed) or Off (blocked). Turn YouTube Off. Turn off the web browser too.

Enter the restricted profile

Tap Enter Restricted Profile. The TV now runs in the restricted environment with only the apps you've allowed. Press Home — YouTube will not be visible or accessible.

Exiting requires the PIN

To exit the restricted profile and return to the full environment, go to Settings → Device Preferences → Security & Restrictions → enter PIN → Delete Restricted Profile (or there will be an Exit option). Your child cannot exit without the PIN.

Part B2: Lock the Main Profile with a PIN (Alternative)

If you'd prefer not to use a Restricted Profile:

Enable Parental Controls

Settings → Device Preferences → Parental Controls → toggle On → set a PIN.

Lock YouTube specifically

Under Parental Controls, you can PIN-lock individual apps. Find YouTube in the app list and lock it. Entering YouTube will require the PIN each time.

Part C: Block YouTube in the Sony TV Web Browser (Both Platforms)

Sony TVs include a web browser (usually the Sony Select or Google Chrome browser on Google TV).

Lock or disable the browser app

Using the same Parental Controls or Restricted Profile settings above, ensure the web browser is locked (Android TV) or blocked in the supervised profile (Google TV).

Add DNS filtering as a fallback

See the DNS filtering guide. Changing your router's DNS to CleanBrowsing or NextDNS blocks youtube.com and googlevideo.com (YouTube's video delivery CDN) at the network level — no browser or app on the TV can reach it.

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How Kids Bypass This

Switching Google accounts: On Google TV, if your child can access the account switcher (Home → profile icon), they may be able to switch to an adult Google account that isn't supervised. Prevent this by requiring a PIN to add or switch accounts: Settings → Parental Controls → enable Account Lock.

Factory reset wipes everything: A factory reset (Settings → Device Preferences → Reset → Factory Reset) removes all parental controls, PINs, and account restrictions. On Google TV with a supervised account, the supervised account itself persists in Family Link — but the TV-level PIN is gone. Lock the reset option: Settings → Parental Controls → enable PIN on reset.

Casting from phones: YouTube can be cast to the Sony TV from a phone or tablet using Google Cast (built into all Sony Smart TVs). This bypasses TV-level controls entirely. Block YouTube on their casting devices, or use router DNS to block youtube.com network-wide.

YouTube Kids substitution: When Family Link is active, Google replaces the YouTube app with YouTube Kids by default. YouTube Kids still contains substantial video content. If your intent is zero video access, also block YouTube Kids from the Family Link app: Manage apps → YouTube Kids → Block.

Sideloading APKs: On Android TV, if Developer Mode is enabled (Settings → Device Preferences → About → click Build Number 7 times), YouTube APKs can be installed directly from a USB drive, bypassing all app-store restrictions. Ensure Developer Mode is off and lock Settings access behind the parental PIN.

Android TV Restricted Profile PIN recovery: The PIN can sometimes be recovered through Android TV's hidden service menu. Router DNS filtering is the more reliable layer against determined bypass attempts.

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Counter-Measures

DNS filtering is your strongest tool for Sony TVs: The Google TV and Android TV parental control systems are complex and version-dependent. Router-level DNS filtering — blocking youtube.com at the network level — is simpler, more consistent, and works across every firmware version. Set it up as your primary layer. See the DNS filtering guide.

Family Link gives you remote control: On Google TV models, Google Family Link lets you approve or deny app downloads from your phone in real time. Enable it — it's free and means you get a notification before any new app is installed on their TV.

Combine with phone-level blocking: If your child has a phone, they can cast YouTube to the TV even if the TV is locked. Block YouTube on the phone via Screen Time (iPhone) or Family Link (Android) to close this gap.

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