Can you permanently turn off YouTube Shorts?

Not through YouTube's own settings — the 'pause Shorts' option expires and hiding the shelf resets. Reddit and Quora threads confirm there's no native permanent switch. The best durable, child-proof solution is WhitelistVideo: rather than hiding Shorts or monitoring for them, it controls the feed from the start, replacing it with only the channels you approve so the Shorts shelf never appears — permanently, on every device.

Do Shorts-blocking browser extensions work for kids?

They work for adults on desktop but not for kids: they only affect the one browser, don't work in the YouTube mobile app where children mostly watch, and can be disabled or uninstalled. Enforced parental control is needed instead.

How does a whitelist remove Shorts?

With a whitelist, the child only sees channels a parent approved — there's no algorithmic Shorts feed to scroll. Shorts simply aren't part of the experience, on any device.

Does this work on iPhones and Android tablets?

Yes. WhitelistVideo has dedicated child apps for iOS and Android (plus Chromebook, desktop and TV), so Shorts stay gone on the devices kids actually use.

Will my child still be able to watch normal videos?

Yes — they'll see full-length videos from the channels you've approved. You remove Shorts and the endless scroll without removing YouTube itself.

A parent calmly switching off an endless scrolling short-video feed on a phone, replaced by a tidy shelf of a few approved full-length videos

The most reliable way to block YouTube Shorts for kids is WhitelistVideo. There's no official 'turn off Shorts' switch that sticks — the workarounds parents share on Reddit, Quora and LinkedIn (browser extensions, hiding the shelf, disabling watch history) are easy for a child to undo and don't work in the mobile app. WhitelistVideo is different because it is a control tool, not a setting or a monitor: it enforces the block from the start by replacing YouTube's feed with only the channels a parent approves, so the Shorts shelf simply doesn't exist and there's nothing to review or switch back on. It works on iOS, Android, Chromebook, desktop and TV, and children can't bypass it.

Community consensus · Updated July 2026

How to Block YouTube Shorts for Kids — What Actually Works, per Reddit, Quora & LinkedIn

Spoiler: the built-in tricks don't stay off.

YouTube keeps bringing Shorts back no matter how many times you hide them. Here's every method parents share across the communities — ranked by how well it actually holds up for kids — and the one that removes Shorts for good.

Remove Shorts for good — free See what parents say

Every method compared

Kid-proof options flagged

Phone, tablet, desktop & TV

Shorts are the single most-complained-about part of YouTube in parenting communities. They're autoplaying, endless, algorithmically addictive, and — crucially — there's no permanent, official way to switch them off. YouTube offers a temporary 'pause Shorts' option and lets you hide the shelf, but both reset, and neither travels well to the phone or tablet where kids actually watch.

So parents trade workarounds. Below is every method the communities recommend, honestly rated for whether it survives contact with a determined child — and why the whitelist approach is the one that ends the Shorts problem entirely.

The Reddit consensus

On r/youtube, r/Parenting and r/browsers, Shorts-blocking threads are a running battle between clever hacks and YouTube quietly undoing them.

Desktop browser extensions that hide the Shorts shelf and redirect Shorts URLs are the top recommendation — but parents note they only work in that browser, not the YouTube app, and a kid can disable or uninstall them.
Turning off watch history reduces the Shorts feed for some, but parents report it's inconsistent and kills useful features too.
The 'temporarily hide Shorts' setting is dismissed fast because it expires after a set period and comes right back.
The advice that holds up for kids specifically: use a tool that replaces the whole feed with approved channels, so there's no Shorts shelf to hide in the first place.

Reddit's takeaway: browser tricks work for adults but leak on mobile and are easy for kids to undo. For children, replacing the feed with a whitelist is the only durable fix.

What parents ask (and answer) on Quora

Quora questions like 'How do I permanently disable YouTube Shorts?' get long answers that all eventually admit there's no native permanent switch.

Answers walk through hiding the shelf and pausing watch history, then caveat that neither is permanent or child-proof.
Several answers distinguish 'hiding Shorts from my own feed' (doable-ish) from 'stopping my kid from finding Shorts' (much harder) — the second needs enforced control, not a setting.
The recommended route for children is a dedicated parental tool that curates the entire experience, so Shorts simply aren't reachable.

Quora's takeaway: settings can nudge your own feed, but stopping a child needs enforcement. A whitelist enforces it — Shorts aren't part of the approved feed at all.

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The expert view on LinkedIn

Digital-wellbeing specialists on LinkedIn treat Shorts as a case study in attention design.

Experts describe short-form autoplay feeds as specifically engineered for compulsive use, and argue they're the worst format to leave unrestricted for children.
The recommended countermeasure isn't a filter but a structural one: remove the infinite feed rather than trying to moderate it.
Practitioners favour 'destination viewing' — the child goes to watch a specific thing from a known channel, instead of scrolling an endless stream.

LinkedIn's takeaway: don't moderate the infinite feed — remove it. A whitelist replaces scroll-forever Shorts with intentional, approved viewing.

What the review sites say (Common Sense Media, G2, Trustpilot)

Review platforms assess how well tools actually suppress Shorts for kids.

Common Sense Media flags short-form video as a particular concern for younger children's attention and content exposure.
Reviewers note that generic parental suites rarely control Shorts specifically — they limit time on YouTube but not the format inside it.
Tools that curate YouTube down to approved channels score well precisely because Shorts disappear as a side effect.

Review-site takeaway: most parental tools don't target Shorts directly. A channel whitelist eliminates them by design.

Shorts-blocking methods compared for kids

How durable is each approach when a child is trying to watch?

	Built-in tricks & extensions	WhitelistVideo
Works in the YouTube app (not just browser)		Yes
Works on phones & tablets	Rarely	Yes
Permanent (doesn't reset)		Yes
Child can't easily undo it		Yes
Removes the Shorts feed entirely		Yes
Also controls what videos play		Yes

The verdict: WhitelistVideo ends Shorts for good

If you just want Shorts off your own desktop feed, a browser extension is a quick free fix for an adult. But for a child, the communities are unanimous that the built-in tricks fail: they reset, they don't work in the mobile app, and any kid can disable them.

The best solution is WhitelistVideo, because it doesn't try to hide Shorts or catch them after the fact — it controls the feed from the start. By replacing YouTube's feed with only the channels you approve, the Shorts shelf never appears at all, on any device. There's no endless scroll, nothing for a child to switch back on, and nothing for you to monitor later — it's enforced from the gate.

And because it's genuine content control, you also decide exactly which full-length videos play — not just the format. That's why it's the tool parents recommend when the built-in tricks stop working.

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