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How to Block YouTube

This guide covers different approaches to blocking YouTube, from a complete block to more nuanced restrictions.

Complete YouTube Block

To block all YouTube access:

  1. Open Focus settings (admin password required).
  2. Go to Domain Management > Block List.
  3. Click Add and enter the following domains:
youtube.com
youtu.be
ytimg.com
googlevideo.com
youtube-nocookie.com
  1. Click Save.

This blocks the YouTube website, embedded videos on other sites, and YouTube's video delivery network.

Block YouTube but Allow Specific Channels

If you want to block YouTube in general but allow access to specific educational channels:

  1. Block youtube.com as described above
  2. Add specific allowed URLs to the Allow List:
    • Example: youtube.com/@ChannelName or specific video URLs

Limitations

URL-level allow listing may not work perfectly with YouTube's dynamic content loading. For more reliable selective access, consider using YouTube's built-in Restricted Mode as a complement to Focus blocking.

Block YouTube in Parental Mode

The easiest approach for parents:

  1. Go to Parental > [Child's Name] > Category Filtering
  2. Block the Video Streaming category
  3. This blocks YouTube along with other streaming platforms

To block only YouTube while allowing other streaming services:

  1. Leave the Video Streaming category allowed
  2. Add youtube.com and related domains to the block list manually

Time-Limited YouTube Access

Instead of a complete block, allow YouTube for a limited time each day:

  1. Go to App Limits or Domain Management
  2. Add youtube.com as a time-limited domain
  3. Set a daily limit (e.g., 30 minutes or 1 hour)
  4. YouTube becomes inaccessible once the limit is used up

Schedule-Based YouTube Block

Block YouTube during work or study hours only:

  1. Add youtube.com to the block list
  2. Configure the rule schedule (e.g., Monday-Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM)
  3. YouTube is accessible outside the scheduled hours

Verifying the Block

After setting up the block:

  1. Open your browser and go to youtube.com
  2. You should see the Focus block page
  3. Also test youtu.be (YouTube's short URL) to confirm it is blocked

Embedded Videos

Blocking youtube.com also prevents embedded YouTube videos on other websites from playing, since they load from YouTube's servers.

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