How to Block YouTube Shorts for Your Child
Three ways to remove YouTube Shorts from your child's experience — from Google's built-in controls to complete blocking.
Quick answer: Set the daily Shorts limit to 0 minutes in Google Family Center (supervised accounts), use YouTube Kids which has no Shorts, or enable WhitelistVideo's Block Shorts toggle for complete removal on regular YouTube.
Method 1: Set Shorts limit to zero (supervised accounts)
Google Family Center lets parents set a daily Shorts feed limit for supervised child and teen accounts. Setting it to zero effectively removes the Shorts feed.
- Open Google Family Center or the Family Link app
- Select your child's profile
- Navigate to YouTube settings
- Find Daily Shorts limit
- Set to 0 minutes
Works for: Supervised child accounts and supervised teen accounts managed through Family Link.
Limitations: Only affects the supervised account. Won't help if the child browses YouTube signed out, uses an adult profile on a shared device, or accesses Shorts via direct links.
Method 2: Use YouTube Kids (ages 3-8)
YouTube Kids doesn't include the Shorts feed at all. If your child is young enough for YouTube Kids, this is the simplest approach.
- Download the YouTube Kids app
- Create a child profile linked to your Google account
- Choose a content level (or Approved content only for maximum control)
- Optionally disable search
Limitations: YouTube Kids has a smaller content catalog. Many educational channels available on regular YouTube aren't on YouTube Kids. Best for younger children.
Method 3: Block Shorts with WhitelistVideo
WhitelistVideo includes a dedicated Block YouTube Shorts toggle that completely hides Shorts from all YouTube pages in the protected experience.
- Install WhitelistVideo on your child's device
- Open the parent app and select your child
- Go to Player Controls
- Enable Block YouTube Shorts
Unlike Google's recommendation preference ("Show fewer Shorts"), this fully removes the Shorts feed, Shorts shelf, and Shorts player. Your child can still watch full-length videos from approved channels.
Works on: Chrome, Edge, iOS, Android, Android TV. Requires Basic or Premium plan.
What about "Show fewer Shorts"?
YouTube offers a "Show fewer Shorts" option in the Home feed shelf menu. This is a recommendation preference — it tells YouTube to reduce Shorts suggestions but doesn't prevent access through search, direct links, or channel pages. It's useful as supplementary feedback but shouldn't be treated as a parental control.
Which method should you use?
| Situation | Best approach |
|---|---|
| Child under 8 | YouTube Kids (no Shorts at all) |
| Child 8-17 with supervised account | Set Shorts limit to 0 in Family Center |
| Child on regular YouTube (any age) | WhitelistVideo Block Shorts toggle |
| Shared device with adult profiles | WhitelistVideo (controls the browser, not just the account) |