Restricted Mode is an optional setting that has been available since 2010. It's used by a small subset of users, such as libraries, schools, and public institutions, who choose to have a more limited viewing experience on YouTube. Restricted Mode is turned off for viewers by default. Learn how to turn Restricted Mode on or off.
What does Restricted Mode do?Restricted Mode was created to provide viewers who wanted to better control the content they see. It's an option to intentionally limit your YouTube experience.
Viewers can choose to turn on Restricted Mode for their personal accounts. It may also be turned on for computers in libraries, schools, and other public institutions by the institution's system administrator. Viewers who turn on Restricted Mode cannot see comments on videos.
There are two ways a video can end up being unavailable when Restricted Mode is turned on.
- Primarily, our automated system checks signals like the video’s metadata, title, and the language used in the video.
- Also, some videos may not be available in Restricted Mode as a result of human reviewers applying an age restriction to a video.
We understand that our automated system sometimes makes mistakes when assessing which videos are available in Restricted Mode. We're always looking to improve our automated systems.
Videos containing potentially adult content will not be shown to viewers who have Restricted Mode turned on.
- Drugs and alcohol: Talking about drug use or abuse, or drinking alcohol in videos.
- Sexual situations: Overly detailed conversations about or depictions of sex or sexual activity. Some educational, straightforward content about sexual education, affection, or identity may be included in Restricted Mode, as well as kissing or affection that's not overly sexualized or the focal point of the video.
- Violence: Graphic descriptions of violence, violent acts, natural disasters and tragedies, or even violence in the news.
- Mature subjects: Videos that cover specific details about events related to terrorism, war, crime, and political conflicts that resulted in death or serious injury, even if no graphic imagery is shown.
- Profane and mature language: Inappropriate language, including profanity.
- Incendiary and demeaning content: Video content that is gratuitously incendiary, inflammatory, or demeaning towards an individual or group.
We know there's a risk that some important content could be lost if we were to apply these rules without context. We value stories where individuals discuss their personal experiences and share their emotions. Sharing stories about facing discrimination, opening up about your sexuality, and confronting and overcoming discrimination is what makes YouTube great, and we'll work to make sure those stories are included in Restricted Mode. But just a reminder, to be included, your content must follow the guidelines above!
No, a video that is not available in Restricted Mode is not necessarily age-restricted.
Age-restricted content may not be appropriate for all audiences. It's not visible to users who are signed out, are under 18 years of age, or have Restricted Mode turned on. Learn more about age-restricted content.
To check, you can turn on Restricted Mode and search to see if the video appears. You can also go directly to the video's URL to see if it's viewable. Note: At times, videos are not available in RM upon initial upload, as our system reviews them. Please allow some time before checking for availability.
A video is not automatically filtered from Restricted Mode if it is flagged by the community.
Our team reviews flagged videos for violations of our Community Guidelines. Some videos don't violate our policies, but may not be appropriate for all audiences. In these cases, our review team may place an age restriction on the video. Videos that are age-restricted will not appear for users that have Restricted Mode turned on.
You can still monetize videos even if they may not be available when Restricted Mode is on.
If you edit the video, our system may review it again. If after reviewing our guidelines you still feel your video should appear in Restricted Mode, please let us know by submitting your feedback.