{"id":6231,"date":"2022-01-21T17:37:01","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T17:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gatlabs.com\/education\/?p=6231"},"modified":"2026-03-24T10:14:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T10:14:21","slug":"youtube-access-blocking-in-google-workspace-5-admin-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gatlabs.com\/education\/blog\/youtube-access-blocking-in-google-workspace-5-admin-options\/","title":{"rendered":"YouTube Access Blocking in Google Workspace [5 Admin Options]"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Block YouTube Access as a K12 Google Admin?<\/h2>\n

YouTube access blocking<\/a>\u00a0can be tricky when identifying platforms you want to disable for your users.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because users today, whether staff or students, find it packed with incredibly useful resources for school or work assignments.<\/p>\n

However, YouTube can also be quite a distraction \u2014 if not used for the right purposes.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a K-12 school admin<\/a> who needs more control over students\u2019 YouTube access, this post is for you.<\/p>\n

Below are five admin options to regulate YouTube access across your domain more easily (and granularly!).<\/p>\n

5 Admin Options for YouTube Access Blocking in Google Workspace<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"5<\/figure>\n

\u00a01. Set a YouTube Time Limit for Your Users \u23f0<\/h3>\n

One way to better manage YouTube access for your users without worrying about it consuming their time is by setting time limits as follows:<\/p>\n

1. Allow YouTube access for your users during certain times of the day ONLY.
OR<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Limit the number of hours users can spend on YouTube.<\/p>\n

Schools, in particular, find this option handy when students need YouTube access for specific school hours only.<\/p>\n

**To configure this\u00a0YouTube time limit<\/a>, you\u2019ll need the help of a third-party tool like\u00a0GAT Shield<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

2. Turn YouTube OFF for Specific OUs or Groups ONLY \ud83d\udc65<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s say you want to get more \u2018\u2019user-granular\u2019\u2019 and restrict YouTube access to some of your domain\u2019s users only.<\/p>\n

In that case, you can add those users to a specific\u00a0access group<\/a> or organization unit (OU) and turn YouTube off<\/a>\u00a0for it.<\/p>\n

Note, when you turn YouTube off within Google Workspace for Education<\/strong>, users signed in, regardless of age,\u00a0can\u2019t use YouTube.com or YouTube apps.<\/p>\n

However, they can still view embedded YouTube videos assigned in Google products, such as Google Classroom<\/a>. All users can also continue to link and preview videos in Docs.<\/p>\n

Alternatively<\/strong>, Google has 4 YouTube permission settings in the Admin console that you can use to push out different access levels to your users.\u00a0Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Block YouTube for a Specific Student or User<\/h3>\n

What if you have just one particular user you want to block from YouTube?<\/p>\n

Well, here you have three options:<\/p>\n

1. Put them in a separate OU:\u00a0<\/strong>Create a new child OU that inherits everything their OU (where you have your other user or grade students) has, but remove YouTube access.<\/p>\n

This will help you preserve any automation you may have in place while removing YouTube access for that one user.<\/p>\n

2. Create a \u2018YouTube blocklist\u2019 group:<\/strong>\u00a0Create a new group for that user and turn YouTube \u2018Off for everyone\u2019 in that group.<\/p>\n

Simply go to Google Admin > Apps > Additional Google Services > YouTube > Service Status > OFF for everyone.<\/em><\/p>\n

3. Use a third-party URL filtering tool: <\/strong>A more hassle-free solution would be to completely block YouTube for specific users using a URL filtering tool like\u00a0GAT Shield.<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Restrict YouTube Access by Age (Google Workspace for Education only):<\/h3>\n

Speaking of getting user granular,\u00a0as of September 1, 2021, users identified in the admin console below the age of 18 get a more restricted YouTube experience.<\/p>\n

Learn more about what they can\u2019t do\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This setting gives you a better way to regulate how YouTube is being used across your school\u2019s domain by setting your staff\u2019s accounts to 18+ and students’ accounts to under 18. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Log in to the Admin Console<\/li>\n
  2. Click Account > Account Settings<\/li>\n
  3. Scroll down to Age-based settings.<\/li>\n
  4. Choose which OU you want to update<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    REMEMBER, Admins need to identify teachers and staff as 18+; otherwise, they\u2019ll lose access to any teaching content they created on YouTube.<\/p>\n

    5. Completely Block YouTube for ALL Users \ud83d\udeab<\/h3>\n

    Turning YouTube off for your users from the admin console only doesn\u2019t mean that users won\u2019t be able to access the Platform at all (as we mentioned above).<\/p>\n

    If you need to completely block YouTube access for all users across your domain, then you\u2019ll need the help of a third-party URL filtering tool<\/a> to perform that.<\/p>\n

    Closing Thoughts<\/h2>\n

    If you choose options 1 or 2, you may want to:<\/p>\n

    \u25aa\ufe0f Audit YouTube Activity: <\/strong>This will help you get more insight into what your users are watching on YouTube (and make a more informed decision). You can use a tool like GAT Shield to achieve that.<\/p>\n

    \u25aa\ufe0f Blocking explicit results on YouTube<\/strong>: That\u2019s a PREREQUISITE, but we had to add it for the sake of thoroughness \u2014 Always make sure that you\u2019re blocking explicit content for your students and users on YouTube.<\/p>\n

    Have a different YouTube access management challenge we haven\u2019t covered in this post? Give us a shout at help@gatlabs.com<\/a>, we\u2019ll be happy to help you out.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    Top Education Trends in 2023: YouTube Auditing for Best Learning<\/a><\/blockquote>