I filled my roommate’s car with 5,000 balloons
Prank Patrol
2.9M views · 3 days ago
YouTube parental controls on a computer
YouTube’s parental controls were built around the phone app and a signed-in, supervised account. On a family computer, kids are often signed out or in a parent’s browser, where those controls don’t reach. Here is what each layer can do, from YouTube’s own settings to the browser and the computer itself.
Coming soon to Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera · Free · No account
This is the browser layer: try Hide Shorts and Block channel. With a PIN set, neither can be undone without it.
Build a habit tracker in 20 minutes
Code with Sam
214K views · 1 week ago
The drama nobody is talking about (it’s bad)
Spill Central
1.3M views · 1 day ago
Shorts
He did not see that coming
9.8M views
Cheese pull level: impossible
3.1M views
My face when the update dropped
6.4M views
She said WHAT on a live stream?
2.7M views
What a comet is really made of
Orbit Notes
640K views · 4 days ago
Eating only gas-station food for 24 hours
Big Bite Bros
4.1M views · 2 weeks ago
Fix a wobbly chair for good
Weekend Builder
98K views · 5 days ago
Reacting to the worst phones of 2026
React Room
2.2M views · 6 days ago
Fake lottery ticket prank on my dad
Prank Patrol
5.6M views · 1 month ago
Last to leave the pool challenge
Prank Patrol
7.2M views · 2 months ago
Three layers, three jobs
| Layer | Good at | Can’t do |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube supervised account | Age-based content levels, blocking channels, history and autoplay controls | Anything when your kid is signed out or in your account |
| Browser extension | Hiding Shorts, channels, words and comments in that browser, signed in or not | Other browsers, phones, TVs |
| Computer’s own controls | Screen time, blocking whole sites, approving apps | Anything inside YouTube, like one channel or the Shorts shelf |
They work best together. A supervised account handles content, the browser covers the gaps a shared computer creates, and the computer’s controls handle how long.
YouTube’s supervised account
If your kid signs in with an account you manage through Family Link, YouTube’s parental controls apply on every device they use, the computer included. From Family Center you can:
- choose a content level that matches their age;
- block channels, which also applies in YouTube Kids on the same account;
- pause or clear watch and search history;
- turn autoplay off, so they can’t switch it back on;
- set a Shorts feed limit and break or bedtime reminders.
YouTube gives the steps for those last ones in the app, and its help pages don’t describe them for the website. Treat the Shorts limit as a phone setting.
Restricted Mode
Restricted Mode screens out videos YouTube’s systems flag as potentially mature, and hides comments as a side effect. On a computer: profile picture, Restricted Mode at the bottom of the menu, then Activate Restricted Mode. It’s set per browser, so it also covers a kid who isn’t signed in. The filter is automatic and broad, so ordinary videos sometimes disappear too. Steps and details are on YouTube’s help page, and in our Restricted Mode guide.
The browser layer
This is where a shared computer gets its controls. FeedCut runs in the browser itself, so it works whether your kid is signed in, signed out, or using your account:
- Shorts off from the moment it’s installed, and Shorts links open in the normal player.
- Blocked channels and words disappear from Home, search, Up next and comments. The “For kids” list is a starting point.
- Home feed, Up next and comments can each be hidden with a switch.
- A PIN protects every setting and list.
Two settings close the usual gaps. Allow FeedCut in private windows on its details page, and install it in every browser on the computer, or remove the browsers your kid doesn’t need.
The computer’s own controls
Windows has Microsoft Family Safety and Macs have Screen Time. Both can limit how long a child spends online or in a browser and block whole websites. They can’t see inside YouTube, so they can’t block a channel or the Shorts shelf, but they’re the right tool for “an hour on school days”. A separate, non-admin account for your kid on the computer makes all of this harder to switch off.
Questions
Does YouTube have parental controls on a computer?
Partly. A supervised account’s settings follow your kid to the computer when they sign in, and Restricted Mode works in any browser. What’s missing is anything for a signed-out or shared browser, and the Shorts and time settings, which YouTube documents for the app.
Can I set a time limit for YouTube on a computer?
Not inside YouTube. Your computer’s own controls can: Microsoft Family Safety on Windows and Screen Time on a Mac can limit time on websites or apps.
Can my kid get around these controls?
Any control can be worked around by a determined teenager. The point is to remove the easy paths: the shelf of Shorts, the channel they shouldn’t find, the private window. Pair the settings with a conversation.
Is YouTube Kids available on a computer?
Yes, YouTube Kids also runs in a web browser. It’s a separate, smaller catalog, which suits younger children best.
Take YouTube back to what you came for
Block channels, words and Shorts everywhere on YouTube. Free, no account, nothing leaves your browser.