How to block YouTube Shorts for kids on every device

If you are working out how to block YouTube Shorts for a child, the most reliable way is a supervised account with the Shorts feed limit set to zero, which a parent sets in Family Center and the child cannot change. That removes the Shorts feed in the YouTube app on phones and tablets. It does not remove every Short from search results or links, and it does not apply in a signed-out browser, so you also need to close those doors with Screen Time or Family Link.

If you would rather have no Shorts at all, anywhere in the player, Pepelly shows a child only the channels you chose and never shows Shorts. More on that after the steps.

The steps below were checked against Google's and Apple's help pages on 21 October 2026. Menu labels change, so look for the nearest match if yours differ.

Why Shorts matter for children

Shorts are vertical clips of up to a few minutes, served one after another in an endless feed. There is no last video. A swipe brings the next one, chosen by an algorithm.

That is what makes them hard for children to stop. An episode ends; a feed does not. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that rapid-fire media such as short-video feeds is harder for young children to process. The German online-safety initiative klicksafe points out that the algorithm can pull children further into one topic without parents noticing.

None of this means a child who watches Shorts is harmed. It means the format needs a firmer boundary than ordinary videos, and the younger the child, the more that boundary has to come from the device, not from willpower.

The Shorts feed limit: what it is

The Shorts feed limit is a daily timer for the Shorts feed in the YouTube app, and it can be set to zero. It exists in two versions that behave very differently.

YouTube announced the parental Shorts timer on 14 January 2026, at first for supervised teens, with the zero option promised "soon". As of October 2026, Google's help pages list the Shorts feed limit for supervised kid accounts as well, and the zero option is available.

How to block YouTube Shorts on each device

The supervised-account route works on any device where your child signs in to the YouTube app. The table shows what to do on each device, and what to block so the limit cannot be bypassed.

Two notes from klicksafe's tests, published in February 2026: with the parent-set limit at zero, Shorts can still appear in YouTube search results and be opened from there. And the option labelled "Off" in the list removes the time limit; it does not switch Shorts off. Choose zero.

Supervised accounts for teens and preteens

For children from about 9, a supervised account is the main tool YouTube offers. You set it up through Family Link or Family Center, choose a content setting, and then manage time from Family Center.

Besides the Shorts feed limit, Time management in Family Center offers bedtime and take-a-break reminders. You can also switch on Disable autoplay and block individual channels. For teenagers aged 13 to 17, supervision is voluntary: the teen and the parent can set it up together, and it works best when the teen agrees with the rules.

klicksafe makes a point worth repeating: technical limits work best as support for rules a family has agreed together. Children who see them as punishment tend to look for ways around them.

What does not work

Several tips circulate online that sound like an off switch and are not.

• Restricted Mode. It screens out potentially mature videos. It does not touch formats, so Shorts that pass the filter still appear.
• The limit on the child's own unsupervised account. On a normal account the Shorts feed limit is a reminder with a dismiss button. A child can tap past it.
• Hiding the Shorts shelf. Some versions of the app let you hide the Shorts row on the home feed for a while. It comes back, and the Shorts tab stays.
• Pausing watch history. It changes what is recommended, not whether Shorts appear.
• Browser extensions alone. They work in one browser on one device. Another browser, or the app, has no such filter.
• Blocking a Shorts channel. Blocking a channel blocks that channel only. Re-uploads and similar channels stay visible.

The honest summary: as of October 2026, there is no single switch that removes Shorts from every YouTube surface for a child. A supervised account with the limit at zero, plus device settings that close the browser and other apps, comes close.

What to offer instead of Shorts

The easiest way to take Shorts away is to offer something short that still ends. Many children like Shorts because they are quick, not because they are vertical, so a three- to six-minute video with a clear finish often works as well.

These official channels from our catalogue post short single videos rather than feeds:

It also helps to say out loud what changes and why, before the setting changes. "We are switching off the endless videos; you can still watch your science channels" lands better than a feed that silently disappears.

A player with no Shorts at all

Pepelly is a video player for children from 3 to 12 that plays only the YouTube channels you approved. It has no Shorts feed and does not show Shorts from approved channels. There is no autoplay, no recommendations and no comments. When a video ends, Pepelly's own screen offers "watch again" or "back to my videos".

You add channels by search, by pasting a link, from a starter pack for your child's age, or from your own subscriptions. Compilations and very long videos are hidden by default. A parent PIN is the only way out of kid mode.

Pepelly works alongside the device settings above, not instead of them: block the regular YouTube app and browser with Screen Time or Family Link, and the app walks you through it. Videos play in the official YouTube player, and Pepelly does not remove YouTube ads. Pepelly is not affiliated with YouTube or Google.

For all of YouTube's other settings, see the complete guide to YouTube parental controls. For channels that suit a calmer evening, see low-stimulation shows for kids. See how Pepelly works or pricing.