YouTube is easy to reopen after a simple app delete because it also works through browsers, app stores, and network-connected devices. The fix depends on where YouTube is getting through: the app, youtube.com, a child account, or the whole Wi-Fi network.
Start with the device setting that matches your situation, then add a browser or network block when YouTube still opens somewhere else.
1. Pick the YouTube block that fits the problem
- Block the YouTube app when the app is the problem.
- Block youtube.com when YouTube opens in Safari, Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.
- Block app installs after deleting YouTube so it cannot be downloaded again.
- Use a child account control when the device belongs to a child.
- Use network blocking when every phone, tablet, and computer on the home Wi-Fi needs the same rule.
Use the narrowest block first. It is easier to manage and easier to undo later.
2. Stop YouTube on iPhone and iPad with Screen Time
Use Apple’s current Screen Time path when YouTube needs to be blocked in web browsing on iPhone or iPad.
- 1.Open Settings.
- 2.Tap Screen Time.
- 3.Select the child’s name when managing a child account.
- 4.Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- 5.Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- 6.Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games.
- 7.Tap Web Content.
- 8.Choose Limit Adult Websites.
- 9.Under Never Allow, tap Add Website.
- 10.Enter youtube.com and www.youtube.com.
For the YouTube app, go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit, select YouTube, tap Next, set the allowed time, and tap Done. That sets a daily allowance, not a hard block: Apple notes that by default Screen Time limits can be ignored once they are reached, so add a Screen Time passcode and Downtime when the limit has to hold. For scheduled lockouts, open Settings > Screen Time, tap the child’s name when managing a child, tap App & Website Activity and turn it on if it is off, then tap Downtime and either tap Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow or tap Scheduled and set Every Day or Customize Days with start and end times. Set a Screen Time passcode, then turn on Block at Downtime so restricted apps are blocked instead of only dimmed.
Skip older instructions that use Settings > General > Restrictions > Websites. The current iPhone and iPad path is Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
3. Remove the YouTube app and block reinstalling
- 1.On iPhone or iPad, touch and hold YouTube.
- 2.Tap Remove App.
- 3.Tap Delete App.
- 4.Confirm with Delete.
- 5.Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Installing Apps.
- 6.Choose Don’t Allow.
Deleting YouTube handles the app only. Add an install restriction afterward when you do not want it downloaded again.
That iPhone setting blocks all App Store installs, not only YouTube.
On Android, open Settings > Apps or Settings > Apps & Notifications, choose YouTube, tap Disable or Uninstall, then confirm. You can also open Play Store, search for YouTube, open the app listing, and tap Disable or Uninstall. If Android shows Disable instead of Uninstall, use Disable.
4. Limit YouTube on Android with Digital Wellbeing
Digital Wellbeing is the built-in Android option for daily time limits. Use it when YouTube should stay available for a set amount of time.
For the app, open Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > App timers, tap Set timer next to YouTube, choose the allowed time, and tap OK.
For youtube.com in Chrome, open Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls, tap the chart, choose Chrome, tap Show sites, tap Show, tap Set site timer next to youtube.com, choose a time limit, and tap OK.
The Chrome site timer covers Chrome website use. It does not cover other browsers or the YouTube app.
5. Manage a child’s device with Family Link or Family Safety
- 1.Open the Family Link app.
- 2.Select the child.
- 3.Tap Screen time.
- 4.Tap Time limits.
- 5.Open App limits.
- 6.Select YouTube.
- 7.Choose Blocked, or tap Set limit, choose the hours and minutes, and tap Done.
For a child’s Android device or Chromebook, Google Family Link blocks or limits the YouTube app from the child account. Google supports this on Android 6.0 and up or ChromeOS 71 and up, app limits need Android 7 and up, and system apps cannot have app limits while apps required for supervision or for the device to work cannot be blocked.
To block the website for a child’s Google Account, open Family Link > Controls > Google Chrome and Web. Under Manage sites, tap Approved sites and Blocked sites, tap Add a website, then add youtube.com and www.youtube.com.
For new app downloads, open Family Link > Controls > Google Play and require approval for downloads. For a direct YouTube app block, use App limits > YouTube > Blocked.
On Windows, Xbox, Edge, and supported mobile setups, Microsoft Family Safety handles a child’s Edge and app rules. In the Family Safety app, select the family member, open Content filters, then turn on Only use allowed websites or add blocked sites. To block the YouTube app or PWA, open Apps and Games, select YouTube, and choose Block app.
6. Block YouTube on Mac and Windows
On Mac, Screen Time can limit youtube.com directly.
- 1.Open Apple menu > System Settings > Screen Time.
- 2.Choose the family member from the Family Member pop-up when managing a child.
- 3.Open App Limits.
- 4.Click Add Limit.
- 5.Expand Websites.
- 6.Select youtube.com, or click Add Website and enter youtube.com.
- 7.Set the time.
- 8.Select Block at end of limit.
- 9.Click Done.
For Mac web restrictions, open Apple menu > System Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy, turn on Content & Privacy, then open App Store, Media, Web, & Games and adjust web browsing restrictions.
To remove an installed YouTube app or web app on Mac, open Finder > Applications, drag YouTube to Trash, or select it and choose File > Move to Trash. Then use Finder > Empty Trash.
On Windows, uninstall a YouTube app or PWA from Start > All apps, find YouTube, right-click or press and hold it, then choose Uninstall. You can also use Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps > YouTube > More > Uninstall. Uninstalling the app does not block youtube.com in browsers.
7. Use browser extensions for one personal computer
- In Chrome, open Chrome Web Store, install BlockSite: Block Websites & Stay Focused, then add youtube.com to the block list or set a daily Usage Limit.
- In Chrome, install StayFocusd – Website Blocker & Focus Timer & Shorts Blocker, add youtube.com as a blocked site, then configure Active Days, Active Hours, or Nuclear Option.
- In Firefox, open Firefox Add-ons, install LeechBlock NG or Block Site, then add youtube.com to the block list and set the schedule.
Browser extensions work well on a personal computer where the user controls one browser.
Extensions enforce rules inside the browser where they are installed. They do not cover other browsers.
8. Block YouTube across home Wi-Fi
For several devices, use a router or DNS-level blocker instead of repeating the same setting on every phone and laptop.
- With eero Plus, open Home > Security & privacy > eero Plus > Network controls > Block & Allow Sites > Add Blocked Site, enter youtube.com, turn on the Network toggle, and tap Save. To apply it to one person, open that Profile from the Home tab and add the same blocked site there.
- With NextDNS, open the NextDNS dashboard, select the profile, go to Parental Control > Websites, Apps & Games, add YouTube to blocked services, then configure the devices or router to use that profile.
- With Freedom, install Freedom on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, or Chrome, create a blocklist containing YouTube or youtube.com, then start or schedule a blocking session.
For fuller YouTube app and video coverage on eero, add related domains such as youtu.be, youtube-nocookie.com, googlevideo.com, and ytimg.com.
9. Hand work and school devices to the admin
Managed devices need administrator controls. Google Chrome admins can deploy URLBlocklist with entries like youtube.com, www.youtube.com, and youtu.be. Microsoft Edge admins can deploy URLBlocklist through Group Policy, Intune, plist, or managed mobile configuration.
Google Workspace admins can restrict YouTube content for signed-in users from Google Admin console > Apps > Additional Google services > YouTube > Content settings, then set YouTube permissions. Microsoft Defender admins can use Web content filtering policies for device groups and custom URL or domain indicators where the tenant supports them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block YouTube completely on one phone?
Yes. Block or remove the YouTube app, then block youtube.com in the browser. On iPhone, use Screen Time for both. On Android, use Digital Wellbeing for timers, Family Link for a child account, or Disable/Uninstall for the app.
Why does YouTube still open after I deleted the app?
Deleting YouTube only removes the installed app. YouTube still opens at youtube.com until you block the website with Screen Time, Family Link, Microsoft Family Safety, a browser extension, eero Plus, NextDNS, or another supported blocker.
Can I block YouTube on every device in my house?
Yes. Use a network-level option such as eero Plus Block & Allow Sites or NextDNS, then apply the block to the whole network or to the devices using that DNS profile.
Do browser extensions block YouTube everywhere?
No. Chrome and Firefox extensions work inside the browser where they are installed. Use device, account, or network controls when other browsers also need the same YouTube block.
