How to Block YouTube on Virgin Media Hub (2026)

Block YouTube on a Virgin Media Hub using Virgin Media's parental controls and DNS filtering. Free for Virgin Media broadband customers in the UK. Updated for 2026.

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

What You'll Need

  • A Virgin Media Hub (Hub 3, Hub 4, Hub 5, or the Virgin Media Router)
  • Your My Virgin Media account login
  • About 10–15 minutes

Virgin Media provides parental controls through two routes:

  1. Virgin Media's online account parental controls — accessible via virginmedia.com, applies at the account level
  2. Hub admin panel — local router settings including URL filtering and Wireless Block

Both are covered below.

Part 1: Set Up Parental Controls via My Virgin Media

Virgin Media's account-level parental controls are managed from their website and apply to your broadband connection.

Log in to My Virgin Media

Go to virginmedia.com/help and log in with your Virgin Media account. Navigate to My Account → Broadband → Parental Controls (or search "parental controls" on the Virgin Media site).

Enable Safe Settings or Content Controls

Virgin Media offers a Safe Settings option that filters adult and harmful content. Look for a video streaming or social media category and toggle it off to block YouTube.

Note: Virgin Media's account-level parental controls focus on adult content blocking and broad category restriction rather than specific URL blocking. If the control panel doesn't allow you to specifically block YouTube, proceed to Parts 2 and 3.

Part 2: Block YouTube via the Hub Admin Panel

Access the Hub admin panel

On a device connected to your Virgin Media Wi-Fi, open a browser and go to:

  • 192.168.0.1 — Hub 3 and Hub 4
  • 192.168.100.1 — Hub 5 (some configurations)

Log in using your Hub admin credentials. Important: The Hub admin password is NOT the same as your Virgin Media account password or your Wi-Fi password. It's a separate admin password:

  • Hub 3 default: Username admin, password printed on the Hub sticker
  • Hub 4/5: Username admin, password is a unique alphanumeric string on the Hub sticker (look for "Admin Password" — not the Wi-Fi password)

Go to Advanced Settings → URL Filtering

Once logged in, look for:

  • Advanced Settings → Security → Parental Control (Hub 3 and Hub 4)
  • Content Filtering or Website Filtering under the Security section

If you don't see a URL/parental control section, your Hub firmware may have moved the option — try looking under Firewall.

Add YouTube to the blocked URL list

In the URL filtering section, look for a Block List or Add URL option. Add:

  • youtube.com
  • youtu.be
  • googlevideo.com
  • m.youtube.com

Enable the filter and click Apply or Save.

Enable the filter and restrict by device (if available)

Some Hub firmware versions allow you to apply URL filtering to specific devices (by MAC address) rather than the whole network. If you want to block YouTube for your child's device only, look for a Device or Client filter option and assign the rule to their device.

Part 3: DNS Filtering (Recommended for Virgin Media)

DNS filtering is the most reliable method on Virgin Media Hub — it's simpler to set up than URL filtering, works across all Hub firmware versions, and can't be easily bypassed from the Hub admin panel alone.

Log into the Hub admin panel

Same as Part 2, Step 1 — go to 192.168.0.1 and log in.

Find DNS settings

Navigate to:

  • Advanced Settings → IP Management → DNS (Hub 3)
  • Advanced Settings → Network → look for DNS Server fields (Hub 4/5)

You're looking for fields labelled Primary DNS and Secondary DNS (or Preferred DNS Server).

Enter CleanBrowsing Family DNS

Replace the current DNS entries:

  • Primary DNS: 185.228.168.168
  • Secondary DNS: 185.228.169.168

Click Apply.

Restart the Hub

Power-cycle the Hub (unplug for 10 seconds, plug back in) or use the Restart option in the admin panel. After restart, youtube.com will fail to load on every connected device.

💡

Hub in Modem Mode?

Some Virgin Media customers run their Hub in Modem Mode (router function disabled) with a separate router behind it. If this is your setup, configure DNS filtering on your third-party router, not the Virgin Hub.

Part 4: Virgin Media Connect App (Hub 4 and Hub 5)

Download the Virgin Media Connect app

Download the Virgin Media Connect app (iOS or Android, free). Sign in with your Virgin Media account.

Access parental controls in the app

In the app: My Hub → Parental Controls. From here you can:

  • Pause Wi-Fi for specific devices
  • Set time limits per device
  • Some versions of the app include content category filtering
🐹

How Kids Bypass This

Hub admin panel uses a sticker password: Unlike routers with default admin/admin credentials, Virgin Hub admin passwords are unique per device and printed on the Hub. This is more secure — but if your child has physical access to the Hub sticker, they can potentially access the admin panel. Keep the Hub in a location your child can't easily read the sticker.

Mobile data bypass: All Virgin Media controls only cover your home Wi-Fi. Use Screen Time (iPhone) or Family Link (Android) for coverage on mobile data.

Virgin Media URL filtering is firmware-dependent: The URL filtering interface in the Hub admin panel varies between Hub models and firmware versions. If you can't find it, DNS filtering (Part 3) is the more reliable alternative.

VPN apps: A VPN bypasses DNS filtering. Block VPN app installation via Screen Time (iPhone) or Family Link (Android).

Accessing Hub in a different profile: Some Hub firmware versions have a guest network. Apply the same DNS settings to the guest network or disable it if your child has access.

🔨

Counter-Measures

DNS filtering is the most consistent method on Virgin Media Hub: Hub admin panels vary between firmware versions and Hub models. DNS filtering works the same way on every Hub and every firmware version. Set CleanBrowsing DNS in the Hub and you're protected regardless of which Hub model you have.

Use the Virgin Media Connect app for quick pausing: The app's ability to pause Wi-Fi per device is useful for immediate control (dinnertime, homework hours) without needing to set permanent rules.

Pair with device-level controls: Virgin Media controls cover your home Wi-Fi. Screen Time (iPhone) or Family Link (Android) covers your child's phone everywhere else — mobile data, school, and friends' houses.

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