Blocking YouTube for students

More districts are blocking YouTube for students, often in response to board policy or concerns about screen time. Teachers still rely on YouTube for lesson content, and workarounds put together under pressure tend to open YouTube back up for students. This article covers the two setups we recommend: blocking YouTube for students while keeping it available to staff, and blocking YouTube entirely.

Option 1: Block YouTube for students, keep it available for staff

Use this if staff need YouTube for teaching but students shouldn't be able to browse it.

Set up your policies

1. For each student policy, go to Policy Editor, select the policy, then open Allow/Block. Add the YouTube domains to the block list: youtube.com, m.youtube.com, music.youtube.com, youtu.be, youtube-nocookie.com, youtubeeducation.com, youtubekids.com, googlevideo.com and ytimg.com. Blocking youtube.com on its own leaves the alternative player domains open.

2. For each staff policy, leave YouTube allowed and choose a level under YouTube Management (Strict access, Moderate access or Unrestricted access).

3. Check every other policy that can apply to students, including your Take Home and guest policies, so students can't reach YouTube on school devices at home or on another network.

YouTube links that students click in a Google Doc, in Drive or on another site are blocked in the same way as any other YouTube link, unless one of your allow exceptions applies.

What to avoid

• Don't add Google Docs, Slides or Sites to the Referer/Origin allow list to get embedded videos working. It can let students reach YouTube content through those sites. Review any other sites on that list (under Account settings, Allow lists) for the same reason.

• Don't rely on YouTube Management as a block. Strict access filters mature content; it doesn't stop students using YouTube.

• Be aware of the Classroom integration. When a teacher shares a YouTube link in a Securly Classroom session, students in that session can reach YouTube more widely, not only the shared video.

We're preparing further guidance on sharing individual videos with students while YouTube is blocked. In the meantime, contact Securly Support if you need help with a specific setup.

Option 2: Block YouTube entirely

Use this if nobody on district devices should use YouTube, or if you'd rather teachers used another video source.

1. Add the YouTube domains listed in Option 1 to the block list in every Securly policy, including staff, Take Home and guest policies.

2. In the Google Admin console, turn off YouTube for the relevant organizational units under Apps, Additional Google services, YouTube. This stops signed-in YouTube use on district Google accounts, alongside the Securly block.

3. On managed iPads, remove the YouTube app through your MDM. A blocked app usually shows a playback or network error rather than a Securly block page, which can look like a fault to students and staff.

Blocking YouTube also stops YouTube videos embedded in other websites in most cases, including educational sites that host their videos on YouTube, subject to your allow exceptions. If teachers report that a learning resource has stopped playing video, this is usually why.

Checking your setup

Sign in as a test student and confirm that youtube.com and the other listed domains are blocked. Then sign in as a test staff member and confirm YouTube loads. If something doesn't behave as expected, raise a ticket with Securly Support and attach a HAR file so we can see exactly what happened.