YouTube Safety Guide

How to Turn Off YouTube Autoplay

Stop YouTube from automatically playing the next video when the current one ends.

Quick answer: Toggle off the autoplay switch in the YouTube video player (bottom of the player on desktop, top on mobile). For supervised accounts, you can also control this through Family Link. Note that the setting may need to be turned off separately on each device.

On the YouTube app (phone/tablet)

  1. Open any video
  2. Look for the Autoplay toggle at the top of the video (or in Settings > Autoplay)
  3. Switch it off

On YouTube.com (browser)

  1. Play any video
  2. Find the autoplay toggle at the bottom of the player
  3. Switch it off

On smart TVs

  1. Open YouTube on the TV
  2. Go to Settings (gear icon)
  3. Find Autoplay and turn it off

Note: TV autoplay is often a separate setting from the phone/browser version. Turn it off on each device individually.

Important limitations

  • Autoplay settings are per-profile — check it on every account your child uses
  • Turning off autoplay doesn't stop your child from manually selecting another video
  • Playlists and "Watch Next" suggestions still appear even with autoplay off
  • YouTube may reset autoplay settings after major app updates

Combine with other controls

Autoplay is one piece of the puzzle. For more comprehensive control, consider combining it with:

  • Supervised account Shorts limit: Set to 0 to prevent Shorts autoplay
  • WhitelistVideo: Combined with channel whitelisting, your child can only watch videos from approved channels — limiting what autoplay can reach even if it's on

Sources