Guides
How to block YouTube on iPhone (app and Safari)
Larry V.
October 7, 2026
7 min read
To block YouTube on iPhone, block the YouTube app plus youtube.com and youtu.be in your browser. But YouTube is also where people learn things, so you may not want it gone entirely. Here's how to block it, and how to tame it if a full block is too much.
The short answer
Open Settings, then Screen Time. Under App Limits, give YouTube a 1-minute daily limit with Block at End of Limit turned on. Then go to Content & Privacy Restrictions, open Web Content, choose Limit Adult Websites, and add youtube.com, www.youtube.com, m.youtube.com and youtu.be to Never Allow. Set a Screen Time passcode, ideally one someone else chooses, so the block holds.
Block it or tame it?
YouTube is different from most apps in this series. People use it for tutorials, lectures, recipes, music and repairs, so a total block can cost you something real. The time usually doesn't disappear into the video you came for. It disappears into what comes after: the recommendations on the home feed, the next autoplayed video, and Shorts.
So it's worth deciding what you actually want. If YouTube is pure entertainment for you, block it like any other feed. If you rely on it, the better move may be to strip out the parts that keep you watching and put a budget on the rest. We cover both.
One limit to know up front: on iPhone, Screen Time and app blockers can't block Shorts while leaving the rest of the YouTube app open. iOS blocks whole apps and whole websites, not sections of them.
Option 1: Tame YouTube with its own settings
These won't block anything, but they remove a lot of the pull. Menu names shift a little between versions; all of them live in the YouTube app's Settings.
- Turn off watch history. YouTube's own help pages say that if watch history is off and you don't have significant prior history, recommendation features like the home feed are turned off. You get a search bar instead of an endless feed. If you have years of history, the effect may be smaller.
- Turn off autoplay. Without it, a video ends and stops, instead of rolling into the next one.
- Set break and bedtime reminders. Under General, "Remind me to take a break" and "Remind me when it's bedtime" show a prompt at the times you choose. They're easy to dismiss, so treat them as nudges.
Option 2: Block YouTube with Screen Time (free)
The same two-part method from our guides to Reddit, TikTok and Instagram works here.
Step 1: Block or limit the YouTube app
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Tap App Limits, then Add Limit.
- Find YouTube in the category it's listed under, select it, and tap Next.
- Set 1 minute to block it almost entirely, or a real budget like 30 minutes if you want to keep it for learning.
- Turn on Block at End of Limit. This toggle only appears once you've set a Screen Time passcode.
Step 2: Block youtube.com and youtu.be in Safari
YouTube works in a mobile browser, and shared links often use the short youtu.be address, so cover all the variants.
- In Settings, go to Screen Time, then Content & Privacy Restrictions, and turn it on.
- Tap App Store, Media, Web & Games (called Content Restrictions on older iOS versions), then Web Content.
- Choose Limit Adult Websites to unlock the Never Allow list.
- Under Never Allow, add youtube.com, www.youtube.com, m.youtube.com and youtu.be.
Test each one in Safari and in any other browser you have installed, and add any variant that still loads.
Step 3: Set a passcode you don't know
A passcode you chose yourself is easy to type back in. Have a partner or friend set it if you can. We compare this in detail in Stryct vs Apple Screen Time.
Option 3: Block YouTube with Stryct
- Open Stryct and go to the Blocklist tab.
- Under Apps, tap Add App and select YouTube.
- Switch to Websites, tap Add Website, and add youtube.com. Add youtu.be too, to be safe.
- Choose how the block runs: Block Now for a full break from 15 minutes up to 30 days, Daily Ration for a daily budget that locks until midnight once it's used up, or Schedules to block it during set hours, like late at night.
Once a session starts, there's no snooze and no button inside Stryct to end it early, and uninstall protection keeps you from deleting the app mid-session.
| | YouTube's reminders | Screen Time | Stryct |
|---|
| Cost | Free | Free, built in | $29.99/yr, 3-day free trial |
| Blocks the YouTube app | No, break and bedtime reminders only | Yes, with a 1-minute App Limit | Yes |
| Blocks youtube.com | No | Yes, with Never Allow | Yes |
| At the limit | A reminder you can dismiss | One More Minute and Ignore Limit, unless you add a passcode | Blocked, no snooze option |
| Ending it early | Dismiss it, or turn it off in settings | Your Screen Time passcode | No button or passcode in the app |
How to make it stick
- Keep YouTube Music separate. If you mostly use YouTube for music, the YouTube Music app is a separate app. Blocking YouTube doesn't touch it unless you add it to the list too.
- Close the Shorts side door elsewhere. Short videos are on TikTok and Instagram Reels too. If you block YouTube and drift to those, add them to the same blocklist.
- Download what you need first. If you're blocking YouTube to study, save the lectures or tutorials you need before the block starts, so "I just need one video" isn't a reason to break it.
The Stryct team's take, clearly labeled as opinion
Nobody loses an evening to the tutorial they searched for. They lose it to the twelve videos after it. Strip out what keeps you watching, give the rest a budget, and if that still isn't enough, block it for a while and see what you actually miss.
Can I block YouTube on iPhone without deleting the app?
Yes. In Settings, then Screen Time, then App Limits, give YouTube a 1-minute daily limit and turn on Block at End of Limit, which requires a Screen Time passcode. The app stays installed but locks after a minute each day. An app blocker like Stryct can also block it for a set session without deleting it.
Can I block YouTube Shorts but keep regular YouTube on iPhone?
Not with Screen Time or an app blocker, because iOS blocks whole apps and websites rather than parts of them. To cut down on Shorts, the closest options are turning off watch history and autoplay in YouTube's settings, giving YouTube a short daily budget, or blocking it during the hours you scroll most.
Does turning off YouTube watch history remove recommendations?
It can. According to YouTube, if watch history is off and you have no significant prior history, features that rely on it, like the home feed, are turned off. If you have a long viewing history, you may still see some recommendations.
How do I block youtube.com in Safari on iPhone?
Go to Settings, then Screen Time, then Content & Privacy Restrictions. Under Web Content, choose Limit Adult Websites, then add youtube.com, www.youtube.com, m.youtube.com and youtu.be to the Never Allow list. Test each address in Safari and in any other browser you use.