Restrict content on your Google Nest speakers and displays

With Google Home app content filters, you can block explicit music and video content from YouTube and other music or radio services from playing on Google Nest and other Assistant-enabled speakers and displays. Use these parental controls to limit which content their children can access.

Filters are part of the Google Home app’s Digital Wellbeing tools and can help you manage the use of your family’s speakers and displays.

Tip: If you manage your child's Google Account in Family Link, you can set up parental controls on Google Assistant devices.

Important: No filter is 100% effective, but these filters can help you manage access to mature content.

Set up Filters

1. Open the Google Home app .
2. Tap Settings   Digital wellbeing Set up or Add device filter.

Note: For Digital Wellbeing to work correctly, your devices and apps must be up to date.

How filters work

You can choose whether filters affect everyone using your device, or just guests and children with a Family Link account. You can apply filters to a specific device or to all supported devices.

Important: Even if you turn on video and other content filters, you can still open videos and other content through news, podcasts, and websites. For example, if you block videos but allow websites, people may be able to still open videos through websites.

Video

• Allow any video: Your device will play all supported videos.
• Only allow filtered videos: Your device will only play videos from the video services you choose.
• Block all videos: Your device won’t play any videos.

Music

Important: Regardless of your music filter setting, audiobooks and radio stations from services like iHeartRadio and TuneIn are always available.

• Allow any music: Your device will play all music.
• Only allow non-explicit music: Your device will allow you to choose from music services that can play non-explicit songs.
• Block all music: Your device won’t play any music.

News

• Allow news: Your device will play all supported news.
• Block news: Your device won’t play any news.

Podcasts

• Allow any podcasts: Your device will play all podcasts.
• Only allow non-explicit podcasts: Your device will play non-explicit podcasts.
• Block all podcasts: Your device won’t play any podcasts.

Calls

• Allow calls: Your device can make any voice and video calls that it supports.
• Block all calls: Your device won’t make voice or video calls. This doesn't block voice messages you broadcast to your family or in your home.

Google Assistant Answers

• Allow answers: Your device can respond with any supported answer.
• Restrict answers: Your device only responds to basic questions like weather, math, definitions, and other simple facts.
  • Tip: Examples of simple facts are the number of days until a holiday or the location of a city.

Websites

Important:

• This filter is only available on Assistant-enabled devices. If you link a supervised account for a child under 13 or the applicable age in your country to your Assistant-enabled device, the web may be blocked unless you allow websites.
• Google’s Assistant-enabled devices can open the web through SafeSearch technology, which may block explicit websites. Certain third-party devices don’t support SafeSearch. If you allow websites on these third-party devices, people who use third-party Assistant-enabled devices will not be able to view the web with SafeSearch.

• Allow websites: Your Assistant-enabled device will open websites.
• Block websites: Your Assistant-enabled device won’t open websites.

Why the web or a website may be unavailable

• Can’t access the web if Digital Wellbeing filters are turned on or a supervised account is linked to your Smart Display. Learn why the web is turned off in these scenarios.
• Can't access explicit websites if you use a SafeSearch-enabled device. This feature is turned on for everyone and can't be turned off. Learn why explicit websites are filtered.

Additional settings for YouTube, YouTube Music, YouTube TV

Important: If media isn't playing, check if Use Restricted Mode is turned on in your device's YouTube settings.

Turn on Restricted Mode for YouTube Music and YouTube video search

1. Open the Google Home app .
2. Tap Favorites  or Devices .
3. Tap and hold your device's tile.
4. Tap Settings   Notifications & digital wellbeing  YouTube settings.
5. Under “Use Restricted Mode,” turn on Restrict for me or Restrict when someone isn’t recognized.

Learn more about YouTube Restricted Mode.

Turn on content filters for YouTube TV

You can allow only programs that are rated YT-Y, YT-G, G and PG.

Note: YouTube TV is available throughout the United States.

1. Open the Google Home app .
2. Tap Favorites  or Devices .
3. Tap and hold your device's tile.
4. Tap Settings   Notifications & digital wellbeing  YouTube settings.
5. Under “Filter content for YouTube TV,” turn off Filter for me.

Turn off Autoplay next video for YouTube

1. Open the Google Home app .
2. Tap Favorites  or Devices .
3. Tap and hold your device's tile.
4. Tap Settings   Notifications & digital wellbeing YouTube settings.
5. Under “Autoplay next video,” tap Turn off for me or Turn off when someone isn’t recognized.