How to Block a YouTube Channel: A Guide for Parents and Teachers

YouTube has become a great source of entertainment and learning aid for students in today’s information age. While the platform offers a vast array of content—from the entertaining to the educational—not all are suitable for students and young viewers, making it important to make sure that kids have a safe and age-appropriate YouTube experience. One way to achieve this is by learning how to block specific channels on YouTube. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process step by step, providing easy-to-follow instructions and tips for managing YouTube viewing.

Understanding the Need to Block YouTube Channels

YouTube provides various parental control features, such as restricted mode and YouTube Kids, but these may not always be sufficient for blocking specific channels or videos that you find unsuitable for children. Blocking channels gives you more control over what kids can access, ensuring a safer and more supervised viewing experience.

Step-by-Step Guide to Blocking YouTube Channels

Blocking a YouTube channel is a straightforward process that can be done from both the YouTube website and the YouTube app. It is important to remember though that YouTube has updated its settings and, as of writing, the options to “Block Video” or “Don’t recommend channel” are no longer available on default YouTube accounts. You only have the option to block channels and videos on YouTube Kids.

Below are the step-by-step instructions for both platforms on YouTube Kids:

Blocking Channels on the YouTube Kids Website

1. Sign in to Your Account: Visit the YouTube Kids website and sign in to your Google account if you haven't already done so.

2. Navigate to the Channel: Go to the channel page that you want to block. You can do this by searching for the channel's name in the YouTube search bar or by clicking on a video from that channel and then selecting the channel name below the video title.

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3. Click on the Three Dots: On the channel page, look for the three vertical dots next to the "Subscribe" button.

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4. Select "Block this channel": Click on the three dots, and you will find "Block this channel."

5. Confirm Your Decision: A confirmation dialog box will appear asking if you're sure you want to block the channel. Click on "UNDO" if you want to undo the blocking, otherwise it will go away on its own and the blocking is confirmed.

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You have successfully blocked the YouTube channel. You will no longer see this channel and its contents. It is worth noting, however, that videos from that channel may still be on YouTube if they were reuploaded to other channels that are not currently blocked.

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Blocking Channels on the YouTube Kids App

To block a specific channel from the YouTube Kids app:

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1. Navigate to the Channel: Go to the channel page for the YouTube channel that you want to block.

2. Look for “⋮”: Click on “⋮”

3. Click on Block channel for kids.

4. A pop-up may surface alerting you that similar videos may still be available on other channels. Tap CONTINUE.

5. Tap BLOCK next to the child you’d like to block this channel for. BLOCK will change to UNBLOCK, giving you the option to undo the action. Click Done .

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You have now successfully blocked the channel on the app.

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For more information on how to block a YouTube Kids channel or video, go here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Fun Facts

Q: Can I Unblock a Channel Later?
A: Yes, you can unblock a channel at any time by going to your account settings and managing your blocked channels list.

B: Does Blocking a Channel Affect My Recommendations?
A: Blocking a channel may improve your YouTube recommendations by filtering out content from that channel that you're not interested in. It can be a way to help YouTube finetune what to show you in the future.

‍Q: Are There Other Parental Control Options on YouTube?
‍A: Yes, in addition to blocking channels, YouTube offers features like restricted mode, YouTube Kids app, and setting viewing time limits through Family Link.

Q: Any Other Options Available to me Aside From Blocking a YouTube Channel?
‍A: Yes! You can block YouTube! See here <internal link to the other article about blocking youtube> for more information on how you can block YouTube.

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Blocking YouTube channels is one way to have more control over what you want to allow your kids and students to watch on YouTube, giving you some respite over worrying if they might be exposed to unwanted content.

Speaking of unwanted content, did you know that aside from blocking certain channels, you can also make sure that there are no unwanted or disruptive ads on YouTube videos? You can use SafeTube to remove ads and distracting content on YouTube and Vimeo videos. To see more AstroSafe tools, click here.