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How to block YouTube on a TCL or Hisense Android TV

By The TameTV team · Updated November 3, 2026

To block YouTube on an Android TV, the reliable way is to leave it out of the profile your kid uses: a kids profile on Google TV, or a restricted profile on older, plain Android TV. You usually can't uninstall YouTube, because it ships as a system app, and TCL's own Parental Controls menu doesn't lock apps. Which route you have depends on whether your TCL or Hisense TV runs Google TV or plain Android TV.

This guide is about switching YouTube off for a kid. If you'd rather keep it and cap it at, say, 30 minutes a day, see how to limit YouTube time on Android TV and Google TV.

First, check which kind of TV you have

TCL and Hisense both sell Google TV sets, and both sold plain Android TV sets before that. The difference matters here:

• Google TV sets have kids profiles. They don't have restricted profiles; kids profiles replaced them.
• Plain Android TV sets, mostly older TCL and Hisense models, have no kids profiles and no Family Link. Some have a restricted profile instead.

If you're not sure what's on your TV, our guide to Android TV parental controls, explained walks through the differences.

How to block YouTube on Android TV today

Here's what works, sorted by kind of TV. Menus vary by model and software version, so if a step doesn't match, look for the nearest option in your TV's settings.

On a Google TV model: a kids profile without YouTube

1. On the Google TV home screen, open the profile menu and choose Add a kid. The wording can vary by device.
2. Follow the setup to sign in or create the child's Google account.
3. When you pick which apps appear in the profile, leave YouTube unticked.
4. Turn on the kids lock, so leaving the profile needs your PIN or password.

Your kid's profile won't have YouTube. Yours still will. Google's steps are on the Google TV kids profile help page. Kids profiles launched in the US in 2021, and Google says they may not be available in some regions or on some devices.

On a Google TV model: block it from Family Link

Once a kid has a kids profile, you can manage its apps from the Family Link app on your phone. You can block or allow apps and add or remove apps from the kids profile. YouTube has phone and TV versions, and Google says to block both. Details are on Google's Family Link help page for Google TV.

On a plain Android TV model: a restricted profile

If your model has it:

1. Go to Settings → Personal → Security & Restrictions → Create restricted profile.
2. Set a PIN. Write it down somewhere safe.
3. Choose the apps the profile may use, and leave YouTube out.
4. Switch to the restricted profile when your kid watches.

A restricted profile is an allow-list. It has no Play Store, and some apps that don't support restricted profiles may not work in it. If you forget the PIN, the only way out is a factory data reset, which erases your apps and channels. Google's steps are on the Android TV restricted profile help page.

Disabling YouTube in Settings → Apps

Some devices let you turn YouTube off for everyone:

1. Go to Settings → Apps.
2. Select YouTube.
3. Choose Disable, if it's offered.

This hides YouTube, but it isn't a lock. Anyone who can reach Settings can choose Enable again, and kids are often quicker with menus than we are. It also switches YouTube off for you and every other adult in the house. Parents have reported that on Google TV, a row for the disabled YouTube app can stay on the home screen.

What TCL's Parental Controls do

On a TCL Google TV, Settings → System → Parental Controls covers:

• channel lock and broadcast ratings,
• inputs lock,
• TV buttons lock,
• channel-scan lock,
• a maximum volume.

These are useful for live TV and the buttons on the set. None of them locks an app, so they won't block YouTube.

Some Hisense models list app blocking

The Parental Control menu in some Hisense manuals lists channel, program, input and app blocking. The default PIN is often 0000, so change it first. We haven't confirmed this menu on Hisense's Google TV models. Check your TV's settings to see whether yours has it.

What doesn't block YouTube

• Apps only mode on Google TV hides personalized recommendations and turns off Search, Assistant and the Watchlist. YouTube still opens and still shows its own recommendations.
• Play Store parental controls set a PIN and a maximum rating for downloads and purchases. Apps already installed, like YouTube, stay usable.
• Content-rating PINs in TV firmware apply to live TV channels, not apps.

The options side by side

Where it falls short

Each option works up to a point. Here's where they stop.

• You can't uninstall YouTube. It's usually a system app, so Disable is the most you'll get from the Apps menu, and that's easy to reverse.
• Disable is all or nothing. It switches YouTube off for the whole household. There's no way to keep it for you and turn it off for your kid.
• Restricted profiles are blunt. No Play Store, some apps may not work, no time limits, and a forgotten PIN means a factory reset. They exist only on plain Android TV, and not on every model.
• Kids profiles need Google TV and the right region. Google doesn't publish a list of where they're available.
• Family Link only reaches Google TV through a kids profile. Family Link's device list doesn't include Android TV or Google TV. Plain Android TV has no Family Link supervision. Google also notes that some Family Link controls aren't available for kids profiles.
• TCL's Parental Controls don't touch apps, and Hisense's app blocking isn't confirmed on its Google TV models.
• Apps only mode and Play Store ratings leave an installed YouTube fully usable.

Parents have also reported in Google's community forums that a kids profile or its YouTube sign-in disappeared, and that "Add a kid" got stuck in a sign-in loop on some devices around September 2025, with a fix reported later. We don't know whether these still happen.

How TameTV will block YouTube

TameTV is a parental-control app for Android TV and Google TV, in development now. It will run on Android 9 and up, including the plain Android TV sets where kids profiles and Family Link aren't available. It's built around four things:

1. Daily budget for total screen time, per kid.
2. Per-app limits: YouTube 30 minutes, Netflix 90, or whatever you decide.
3. Allowed hours: the TV works when you say, locks when you don't.
4. From your phone, anywhere: change limits, lock the TV, add bonus time.

For blocking, the part that matters is the allowed-app list each kid will have. A new kid starts with everything blocked except the apps you tick. Leave YouTube unticked for your 7-year-old and it stays off for them. Tick it for your 12-year-old, or give them a 30-minute limit instead. For you, your parent PIN will unlock the TV, so you can still watch YouTube on the same set. Each kid picks their profile on a "who's watching?" screen.

Blocking only works if it stays blocked. TameTV will lock Settings and the Play Store for kids, so they can't re-enable a blocked app or clear the Play Store's settings. We're building it to resist a determined kid. If you change your mind later and want YouTube back as 20 minutes a day, that's a limit you'll be able to change from your phone. See how it works for the full picture.

What TameTV won't do

• It can't see inside YouTube. TameTV will block the app for a kid or limit their YouTube time. It won't filter which videos play. Later, we plan a separate safe YouTube mode with only the channels you approve.
• Locking needs a permission. On Android 10 and up, TameTV needs the Accessibility permission to lock apps. You grant it during setup, with your consent. Without it, TameTV can only count time, not block.
• Android 9 or later only. TVs on older Android versions won't be able to run it.
• Compatibility is expected, not confirmed. We expect TameTV to work on TCL TVs and Hisense TVs running Android TV or Google TV. Each page says what we know so far.

Getting TameTV

TameTV is still in development, and if you'd like it on your TV when it's ready, you can join the waitlist.