YouTube Restricted Mode: how to turn it on, and what it misses

Restricted Mode is YouTube’s optional filter for potentially mature videos. On a computer, click your profile picture and choose Restricted Mode; in the app, it’s in Settings, under General. It has to be turned on in each browser and app, it hides all comments, and it misses things, so here’s what to expect.

Updated November 2, 2026

How to turn on Restricted Mode

On a computer

  1. Click your profile picture at the top right of YouTube.
  2. At the bottom of the menu, click Restricted Mode.
  3. In the box that opens, switch on Activate Restricted Mode.

In the YouTube app (Android, iPhone and iPad)

  1. Open Settings (from your profile picture, or the You tab).
  2. Tap General.
  3. Switch on Restricted Mode.

Elsewhere

  • Mobile browser (m.youtube.com): tap your profile picture, then Settings, then Account, and switch on Restricted Mode.
  • Android TV: in the YouTube app, open Settings and select Restricted Mode (or Safety Mode).

To switch it off, follow the same steps.

What it filters

YouTube says Restricted Mode screens out “potentially mature content” using signals like a video’s title, description and metadata, the language used in it, Community Guidelines reviews, and age restrictions. Its guidelines for creators list what that covers: drugs and alcohol, sexual situations, violence, profanity, demeaning content, and detailed coverage of terrorism, war, crime and political conflicts, even news without graphic images.

It isn’t the same as age-restricting a video. In YouTube Music, songs marked Explicit still show, but they’re skipped if you play them.

What it misses

  • It’s per browser and per device. YouTube says you must turn it on in each browser, and in each profile if your browser has more than one. Your phone, laptop and TV each need it separately.
  • It hides every comment. With it on, you can’t read comments at all, not just the bad ones.
  • It’s YouTube’s definition, not yours. You can’t add to it or take anything out. It won’t hide diet talk, celebrity gossip or spoilers, and it will hide news you might want to see.
  • It makes mistakes. YouTube says its automated system sometimes gets it wrong, and that quality may vary by language. Expect some videos you’d want hidden to get through, and some harmless ones to disappear.
  • It’s easy to switch off. On a regular account, anyone at the computer can turn it off from the same menu. The exceptions are when a network administrator turns it on, or a parent turns it on for a child through Family Link.

For a child’s account

Parents using Family Link can turn on Restricted Mode for a child who isn’t eligible for a supervised experience on YouTube, and the child can’t change it on devices they’re signed in to. For younger children, YouTube’s supervised accounts and YouTube Kids have more controls. If you want YouTube off a computer entirely, see how to block YouTube on a computer.

If it won’t turn off

If Restricted Mode stays on after you sign in, YouTube’s content restrictions page (linked from its Restricted Mode help page) checks whether an administrator set it, your account did, or your mobile provider is filtering content. Computers in libraries, schools and other public institutions may have it turned on by a network administrator.

Decide for yourself what to hide

Remedy is a Chrome extension for adults who want their own definition of what to hide. Turn on built-in filters like Explicit, Violent or Sad or depressing, or describe it in your own words, like “no diet talk” or “no prank videos”. Remedy removes matching videos from your Home page, search results, the sidebar and Shorts.

Comments stay on, and only the ones that match your filter are removed. Images and video frames are checked on Plus. It’s for choosing what you see, not a parental lock: you can pause it any time. It works on a computer, in Chrome.

Add Remedy to ChromeYour first day is free, no account needed. Plans from $4.92 a month. On a computer, in Chrome.

Questions

Does Restricted Mode hide comments?

Yes. YouTube says that with Restricted Mode on, you can’t view comments on the videos you watch.

Why can’t I turn off Restricted Mode?

It may be set by a network administrator (at a school, library or other institution), by a parent through Family Link, or by your mobile provider’s content filter. YouTube’s content restrictions page shows which one.

Does Restricted Mode work on all my devices?

No. It works per browser and per device, so you turn it on in each browser, each browser profile and each app you use.