YouTube and your Shield
Applies to Shield Core, Edge & Vault
YouTube behaves differently from ordinary websites, and two things surprise almost every family: comments disappearing, and ads inside videos carrying on as before. Both have simple explanations. This guide covers what Shield does and doesn't change about YouTube, and how to tune it for your home.
Download this guide as a PDFWhat the YouTube option really does
When the YouTube option under SafeSearch is on, Shield asks YouTube to run in its Restricted Mode — YouTube's own family setting — on every device in the house: browsers, phone and tablet apps, and smart TVs.
- Mature and age-restricted videos are hidden from search, recommendations and playback.
- All comments are hidden, on every video. This is how Google built Restricted Mode — it isn't a fault, and no setting brings comments back while Restricted Mode is on.
- Live chat and some other community features are hidden too.
If YouTube suddenly 'lost its comments' on every device at once, this option is almost certainly why.
The truth about YouTube ads
Shield blocks ad and tracking domains across your network. Ads inside YouTube videos are the exception: YouTube serves them from the same internet addresses as the videos themselves, so no network-level filter on the market can remove them without breaking YouTube entirely. Anyone who claims otherwise is overselling.
You may even notice the same ads repeating more than before. With Google's ad tracking blocked, YouTube can't remember which ads it has already shown you, so it repeats generic ones. That's the trade-off of blocking trackers: fewer ads following you around the web, but more repetition inside YouTube.
| Can Shield… | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hide mature videos on YouTube | Yes — turn on the YouTube option under SafeSearch. |
| Keep comments while Restricted Mode is on | No — hiding comments is part of Restricted Mode, by YouTube's design. |
| Block ads inside YouTube videos | No — and neither can any other network filter. |
| Block trackers and ad networks around the web | Yes — that's core Shield filtering. |
| Block the YouTube app entirely | Yes — for everyone (Shield page) or one device (Control page). |
Want comments back? Untick YouTube only
You don't have to turn SafeSearch off. On the Shield page → SafeSearch → Search Engines, untick YouTube and leave the other six engines on. Google, Bing and the rest keep hiding explicit search results; YouTube leaves Restricted Mode and comments return.
Give it a few minutes, and close and reopen the YouTube app (or restart the TV). Devices remember the old setting for a short while.
Why whitelisting youtube.com doesn't help
youtube.com to the whitelist does not turn Restricted Mode off for apps and smart TVs — they talk to YouTube through different Google addresses. It also switches off Shield's blocking of YouTube's own advertising and tracking addresses. If you added it hoping to bring comments back, remove it and use the SafeSearch option above instead.For younger children
Restricted Mode is the strongest network-wide setting any filter can apply to the main YouTube service. For young children, the YouTube Kids app is a better fit — a separate, curated service with no comments at all. And if YouTube shouldn't be available on a particular device, block the app for just that device from the Control page.
Tips & troubleshooting
- Comments gone everywhere at once? That's Restricted Mode — untick YouTube under SafeSearch to bring them back.
- No product sold anywhere can remove ads inside YouTube videos at the network level — treat that claim as a red flag.
- Keep the other six SafeSearch engines on even if you untick YouTube.
- Shield's settings apply on your home network. On mobile data, a device follows its own settings.
Need a hand? As a founding member you have a direct line to the people building Shield, the same email reaches the engineers. Talk to us.