YouTube Control Picker: What Matters Most?

If you need: Only approved channels can play

Best choice: WhitelistVideo

WhitelistVideo is the only tool that blocks all YouTube content by default and only allows videos from channels you approve. YouTube Kids' "Approved Content Only" does this too, but only within its limited catalog and only for younger children.

If you need: No YouTube Shorts

Best choice: WhitelistVideo (full block) or Family Link (0-minute limit)

WhitelistVideo's Block Shorts toggle removes Shorts from all YouTube pages. Family Link's daily Shorts limit set to zero also works for supervised accounts. "Show fewer Shorts" on regular YouTube only reduces — doesn't eliminate — the feed.

If you need: No comments

Best choice: WhitelistVideo

WhitelistVideo's Hide Comments toggle removes comment sections from all videos. YouTube Kids doesn't have comments at all. No other parental control tool offers YouTube comment hiding.

If you need: Screen time limits

Best choice: Apple Screen Time (iOS), Family Link (Android), or Qustodio (cross-platform)

WhitelistVideo does not offer time limits — that's a device-level concern. Use your OS's built-in tools or a dedicated screen time app. Pair time limits with WhitelistVideo for YouTube content control.

If you need: Monitor what they watch (not restrict)

Best choice: Bark or Qustodio

For teens where monitoring is more appropriate than restriction, Bark alerts you to concerning content across 30+ platforms. Qustodio provides activity reports. WhitelistVideo's Insights feature also shows what your child watches but focuses on YouTube specifically.

If you need: Everything free

Best choice: YouTube Kids + Family Link + Apple Screen Time

All three are free. YouTube Kids for curated content (young children), Family Link for supervised accounts and Shorts limits, Screen Time for device time. WhitelistVideo has a free tier for basic channel whitelisting.

Quick decision table

Try WhitelistVideo — the YouTube-specific parental control