How to Block YouTube on iPhone
Locked In is an iPhone app that blocks distracting apps, like YouTube, by time, by place, or on demand. Its App Store tagline is "Text a Friend to Unblock Apps": with Guardian (Pro), a friend you pick approves or declines by text when you try to end a block early. It's a friend keeping you honest, not a hard lock.
How do I block YouTube on my iPhone?
To block YouTube on iPhone, use Apple's free Screen Time settings or an app blocker built on Apple's Screen Time technology, like Locked In. Also block youtube.com in Safari, and have someone else hold your Screen Time passcode, or the block is easy to undo.
Which should you use? It depends. If a daily limit is enough and someone else can hold your passcode, Screen Time may be all you need. If you want YouTube to lock on a timer, on a schedule, or when you arrive somewhere, or you want to ask a friend before unlocking early, an app blocker such as Locked In may suit you better. If you need a block that can't be deleted, Locked In isn't built for that: it has no strict mode.
One thing to know first: Locked In and Screen Time block the whole YouTube app. Neither blocks only YouTube Shorts.
Method 1: Apple Screen Time (free, built in)
Screen Time is already on your iPhone and costs nothing. Its menus changed in iOS 27, so follow the steps for your version (Settings > General > About shows it).
If your iPhone runs iOS 27
Apple's iOS 27 guide describes Time Allowances (how long you can use an app category each day) and Screen Time Schedule (when categories are available). Both work by category, such as Social Media, not by single app.
- Go to Settings > Screen Time > Time Allowances (turn on App & Website Activity if asked), tap the category that includes YouTube, and set the daily time.
- Or go to Settings > Screen Time > Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule, tap Add Schedule, and set a Time Window that leaves that category out.
- Check Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed and make sure YouTube isn't listed.
- Lock it: Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings, and have someone you trust choose the passcode.
If your iPhone runs iOS 26
- Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit, open the category that contains YouTube, select YouTube, tap Next, set the time (for example 1 minute for close to a full block), and confirm.
- For set hours: Settings > Screen Time > Downtime > Scheduled. If you've set a Screen Time passcode, turn on Block at Downtime.
- To block youtube.com in Safari: Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web, & Games > Web Content > Limit Adult Websites > Never Allow > Add Website, then enter youtube.com. (On iOS 27, menu names may differ. Apple's iOS 27 guide mainly documents website blocking in the child settings, under Settings > Family > [name] > Apps & Websites.)
- Lock the settings with a passcode someone else chooses.
Where Screen Time falls short
- Apple's iOS 26 guide says: "By default, Screen Time limits can be ignored once reached." A passcode someone else holds is what makes it stick.
- If you know the passcode, you can undo the limit yourself. Passcode Recovery with your own Apple Account also lets you reset it.
- Limits are daily amounts or set times. There's no built-in "block it when I arrive at the office" option.
Method 2: Locked In
As of Oct 2026, Locked In is an iPhone app (iOS 18 or later) that blocks the apps you choose, using Apple's Screen Time technology. It has three ways to block, which can run at the same time and combine their lists:
- Quick Block: block right now, for a set time.
- Schedules (Pro): recurring blocks, such as weeknights from 10 PM. iOS runs them even when Locked In is closed.
- Red Zones (Pro): apps lock when you arrive at a place you've saved, such as your office, gym or library, with an optional time window. They use iOS location geofences (up to 20 zones) and need "Always" location permission. They work while Locked In is in the background or has been closed by the system, but not after you force-quit it. When you leave a zone, its block lifts right away, though how fast depends on how quickly iOS notices you've left.
Step by step
- Install Locked In from the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6758916241?pt=128528903&mt=8&ct=web-other-youtube
- Allow Screen Time access when asked (on the "Arm Your Shield" screen, tap Continue, then confirm with Face ID).
- In Apple's app picker, select YouTube.
- Choose how to block: Quick Block (free: one a day, up to 5 minutes; Pro: choose 5 to 240 minutes, so blocks last up to 4 hours, extendable while running), a Schedule (Pro), or a Red Zone (Pro).
- While a block is on, opening YouTube shows Apple's shield screen instead.
If you want it back early
- Free plan: the first early Stop on a Quick Block ends it right away (a one-time grace). After that: "On the free plan, you can't unlock early." with Upgrade to Pro or Wait it out.
- Pro: "Unblock Early?" offers three choices: solve three quick addition problems, type "I am choosing to break my focus session", or ask your Guardian. There's no wait timer. Loosening an active Schedule goes through the same step. An active Red Zone has no end-early button: turning it off, deleting it or loosening it opens the same Unblock Early? screen.
- Guardian: a person you choose. Your request goes as a text from your own phone through Messages, and they approve or deny it on a get-lock-in.com web page from the link in the text; they install nothing. Requests expire after 15 minutes, and you can always choose the math problems or the typed phrase instead. A friend keeps you honest; it's not a hard lock.
Limits to know before you rely on it
- No strict mode: deleting Locked In or turning off its Screen Time access removes its blocks, and it sends no deletion alerts.
- Locked In blocks apps. Don't count on it to block websites; use Screen Time's website settings for those.
- iPhone only. No Android, Mac or iPad version. Blocks on your iPhone don't affect other devices.
Price (as of Oct 2026)
Free plan: one Quick Block a day, up to 5 minutes. Pro (longer Quick Blocks, Schedules, Red Zones, early-unlock options): $9.99 a month or $89 a year ($7.42 a month). Start with a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Loopholes, and how to close them
| Loophole | What happens | How to close it |
|---|---|---|
| The youtube.com website | Blocking the app doesn't block the website. | Add youtube.com in Screen Time's Never Allow list (iOS 26). |
| Other browsers and in-app browsers | Apple says iOS 27 website controls apply in Safari and "other supported browser apps" but doesn't list which, or mention in-app browsers. Not confirmed for Locked In. | Block the other browser apps you have installed too (Apple's picker should list your installed apps). Don't assume the website block covers them. |
| Ignoring the limit | Screen Time limits can be ignored without a passcode (Apple, iOS 26). | Have someone else set the Screen Time passcode. |
| Deleting and reinstalling YouTube | Don't assume a reinstalled app stays blocked. | Locked In can't stop new app installs. Use Screen Time's App Store restrictions (Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Installations & Purchases; older versions say iTunes & App Store Purchases). |
| Deleting Locked In or turning off its Screen Time access | Its blocks are removed (no strict mode). | Locked In can't stop itself from being deleted, and deleting it erases its Red Zones and Schedules. If you need a block you can't remove yourself, Locked In isn't built for that. |
| YouTube on another device | iPhone blocks don't apply elsewhere. | Set limits on those devices too. |
FAQ
Can I block just YouTube Shorts? Not with Locked In or Screen Time; both block the whole YouTube app. But YouTube has its own Shorts feed limit: in the YouTube app, tap You > Settings > Time management > Shorts feed limit, and pick a time, including zero. YouTube Help says that when you reach the limit, a reminder appears and you can dismiss or ignore it, so it's a nudge rather than a lock. (Source: YouTube Help, "Set a Shorts feed limit", https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/16671528)
How do I block YouTube in Safari? Add youtube.com to Screen Time's Never Allow list (iOS 26 path: Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web, & Games > Web Content). (On iOS 27, menu names may differ. Apple's iOS 27 guide mainly documents website blocking in the child settings, under Settings > Family > [name] > Apps & Websites.)
How do I block YouTube at night? Use Screen Time Schedule (iOS 27) or Downtime (iOS 26), or a Locked In Schedule (Pro), for example 10 PM to 7 AM.
How do I block YouTube on my child's iPhone? Use Apple's parental controls through Family Sharing. Locked In is built for blocking your own apps; it has no parent version or strict mode.
Is Locked In free? As of Oct 2026, there's a free plan with one Quick Block a day, up to 5 minutes. Pro is $9.99 a month or $89 a year. Start with a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Sources
- Apple, Set up Screen Time for yourself on iPhone (iOS 27): https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/set-up-screen-time-for-yourself-iphbfa595995/ios
- Apple, Set Screen Time Schedules and Time Allowances (iOS 27): https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/set-schedules-and-time-allowances-iphb0c7313c9/ios
- Apple, Create, change, or remove a Screen Time passcode (iOS 27): https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/create-change-remove-a-screen-time-passcode-iph272b4c4bd/27/ios/27
- Apple, Block features or content with Screen Time (iOS 27): https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-features-or-content-with-screen-time-iph3ff83f3b1/ios
- Apple, Set schedules with Screen Time (iOS 26): https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/set-schedules-with-screen-time-iphb0c7313c9/26/ios/26
- Apple, Block apps, app downloads, websites, and purchases (iOS 26): https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-apps-app-downloads-websites-purchases-iph3ff83f3b1/26/ios/26
- Apple, Create, manage, and keep track of a Screen Time passcode (iOS 26): https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/create-manage-track-a-screen-time-passcode-iph272b4c4bd/26/ios/26
- Apple WWDC22, What's new in Screen Time API (individual authorization; deletion restrictions don't apply): https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2022/110336/