Unblock age-restricted YouTube videos with these easy steps!

Written by Tim Queen.

Unblock age-restricted YouTube videos with these easy steps!

Are you wondering how to turn off age restrictions on YouTube and unblock videos?

If your video has been restricted on YouTube, you may wonder what caused it and how to resolve it.

Additionally, you may be curious about the types of content eligible for monetization and how to unblock your videos.

This article will answer these common questions about age restrictions on YouTube.

Why is there an age restriction on YouTube?

To start, it's important to understand that age restrictions on YouTube are put in place to protect minors from inappropriate content.

These restrictions are based on the video's content, video title, and metadata, including tags and descriptions. If your video is deemed inappropriate for younger viewers, it may be age-restricted.

Creators are responsible for ensuring that their content is suitable for all audiences.

While it may not violate YouTube's policies, it can still be deemed inappropriate for viewers under 18.

In these instances, YouTube places an age restriction on the video to prevent young viewers from accessing potentially unsuitable content.

This policy is applied to all YouTube products and features, from videos and video descriptions to custom thumbnails, live streams, and other features, to ensure the platform remains a safe and welcoming space for all users.

Why Does Your Video Get Age Restricted?

There are several reasons why your video may have been restricted. It could be due to explicit language, violence, sexual content, or drug use, just to name a few examples. If you're unsure what caused the restriction, you can check your YouTube Studio for more information.

YouTube considers various types of content for age restriction.

Note that this is not an exhaustive list.

Child Safety

  • A video that depicts adults engaging in dangerous activities that minors could easily imitate, such as handling explosives or participating in challenges that cause bodily injury.
  • Stunts performed by parkour or extreme athletes, such as jumping from buildings or performing dangerous flips and tricks.
  • DIY science experiments involving hazardous chemicals or fire can cause harm if not performed properly.
  • Challenges involving self-harm include the "cinnamon challenge" or the "Tide pod challenge."
  • Street racing or reckless driving, both of which are dangerous.
  • Using power tools or other equipment without proper safety gear or training.
  • Fireworks or pyrotechnics can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly.
  • Urban exploration or trespassing on private property can lead to serious injury or legal consequences.
  • Performing dangerous pranks on strangers, both of which have the potential to cause physical harm and legal consequences.
  • Attempting to recreate dangerous scenes from movies or TV shows can lead to serious injury or death.
  • Engaging in extreme sports or activities without proper safety equipment or training, such as rock climbing or base jumping.
  • A video that is intended for adult audiences but could be easily confused with family-friendly content.

‍Harmful or dangerous activities, including regulated substances and drugs

  • A video showcasing fake harmful pranks that appear so realistic that viewers cannot distinguish them from genuine ones.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing the use of illegal drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, could encourage children to experiment with drugs.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing regulated substances, such as prescription drugs or tobacco products, can also harm children.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing the use of marijuana or cannabis products can harm children if consumed or used improperly.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing the use of alcohol can be harmful to children if they try to consume it or emulate behaviors associated with drinking.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing the use of vaping products or e-cigarettes. This can be harmful to children if they try to use them or emulate behaviors associated with vaping.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing dangerous and harmful activities associated with drugs or other substances, such as driving under the influence or engaging in risky behaviors while under the influence.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing the sale or distribution of illegal or regulated substances, which can encourage children to engage in illegal activities or make harmful choices.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing the consumption of excessive amounts of energy drinks or other potentially harmful substances, where health risks can be severe if not consumed responsibly.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing harmful or addictive behaviors, such as gambling or binge eating, can harm children if they emulate those behaviors.
  • Videos promoting or showcasing dangerous and harmful activities associated with prescription drugs, such as misuse or overdose, can lead to serious health consequences or even death.
  • A video promoting a cannabis dispensary.

Nudity and sexually suggestive content

  • Encouraging sexual activity, such as provocative dancing or fondling, in a video.
  • A video featuring a subject posing in a sexually arousing manner.
  • Clothing that is considered inappropriate for public contexts, such as lingerie, worn in a video.
  • Close-up shots of a person's body in a video that is intended to be sexually suggestive.
  • Excessive sexual innuendo or double entendres that may not be suitable for younger viewers in a video.
  • Erotic art or paintings that are sexually explicit or contain nudity in a video.
  • Sexual role-playing or BDSM that is not appropriately flagged or contextualized in a video.
  • A revealing costume or cosplay that is intended to sexually arouse viewers in a video.
  • Suggestive content that is not explicitly sexual but could still be perceived as sexually suggestive in a video, such as a video of someone eating a phallic-shaped food item in a suggestive manner.
  • Explicit or sexualized content in a children's cartoon or TV show that is not appropriately flagged or contextualized in a video.
  • Sexualized ASMR content that is intended to arouse viewers in a video.

Violent or graphic content

  • Pornography: This includes videos of sexual acts between consenting adults, or videos featuring animated characters engaging in sexual behavior, or sexualized content intended for children.
  • Domestic Violence: Footage of physical abuse or violence between intimate partners or family members, including hitting, slapping, or choking.
  • Bullying and Harassment: Footage of bullying or harassment, including physical assault, verbal abuse, or cyberbullying.
  • Hate Crimes: Footage of hate crimes, including physical assault or harassment based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other factors.
  • Police Brutality: Footage of police using excessive force or violence against individuals or groups, including police shootings, beatings, or other forms of brutality.
  • School Violence: Footage of school violence, including shootings or physical assaults that may be too graphic or disturbing for some viewers.
  • Workplace Violence: Footage of workplace violence, including physical assault or harassment that may be too graphic or disturbing for some viewers.
  • Sexual Harassment: Footage of sexual harassment, including inappropriate touching, unwanted advances, or verbal abuse. A graphic depiction of sexual violence or assault, including rape or other forms of assault. Or a video featuring excessive physical contact or groping that may not be consensual or appropriate.
  • Child Abuse: Footage of physical abuse or violence towards children, including hitting, slapping, or spanking.
  • Sexual Assault: Footage of sexual assault, including rape, molestation, or other forms of sexual violence.
  • Gang Violence: Footage of gang violence, including shootings, beatings, or other forms of violence.

Vulgar language

  • Making fun of someone's disabilities: mocking or belittling someone's physical or mental abilities or impairments.
  • Imitating someone's stuttering: mimicking or making fun of someone's speech patterns or mannerisms.
  • Name-calling: using derogatory or insulting language to refer to someone, often in a way that is intended to hurt or humiliate them.
  • Cursing: using excessive or inappropriate language, often to express anger or frustration.
  • Hate speech: using language to express intolerance or prejudice towards a particular group of people, often based on their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, or other characteristics.
  • Sharing derogatory memes or deep fakes of a person to bully them: using images or videos to insult or humiliate someone, often by altering or manipulating them in a degrading or humiliating way.
  • Making jokes about someone's identity: using language to make light of someone's race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or other characteristics.
  • Verbal abuse: using language to harm or belittle someone, often in a way that makes them feel small or inferior.
  • A video with heavy profanity in the title, thumbnail, or associated metadata.
  • A video centered on profanities, such as a compilation of clips taken out of context.

What Happens if Content Is Age-Restricted?

Users who are under the age of 18 or have logged out cannot access age-restricted videos.

Additionally, most third-party websites do not allow viewing of age-restricted videos. If viewers click on an age-restricted video on another website, such as an embedded player, they will be redirected to YouTube or YouTube Music.

This procedure ensures that a video hosted on YouTube can only be viewed by the appropriate audience, regardless of where it is discovered.

What can you do if your videos have been age-restricted?

If your video has been age-restricted, there are several steps you can take to resolve the issue.

First, you can appeal the restriction by clicking the "Appeal" button in your YouTube Studio.

You will need to provide a reason for your appeal, and YouTube will review your video to determine if it is eligible for removal of the restriction.

It's also important to note that not all content is eligible for monetization on YouTube.

To be eligible, your content must meet certain guidelines, including but not limited to the following:

  • being advertiser-friendly
  • not containing inappropriate language or content
  • and not violating YouTube's terms of service.

If your video has been age-restricted, it is not eligible for monetization until the restriction is removed.

How to Turn Off the Age Restriction on YouTube

If you have a YouTube channel and some of your videos are age-restricted, the only way to turn off the age restriction is to appeal it. Here is how:

  1. Go to YouTube Studio
  2. Head to Content
  3. Click the Appeals Link next to your age-restricted video.

The YouTube team will review your request and take further action if appropriate. Please note that you may only appeal the age restriction on your video once.

How to Turn Off the Age Restriction on YouTube As a Viewer

To watch all videos without age restrictions, you can add or update your date of birth or disable safety mode.

Add or Update Your Date of Birth

To add or update your date of birth on your Google Plus profile, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to your Google account using your email address and password.
  2. Click on the Home tab at the top of the page.
  3. On the left side of the screen, click the Profile tab.
  4. Click on the About tab and review the information about your profile.
  5. Under the gender, birthday, and more option, click on the pencil icon next to the birthday option.
  6. Enter your date of birth and click Save to update your Google Plus profile with your date of birth.

Disabling Safety Mode

Follow these steps to disable Safety Mode on YouTube:

  1. Go to the YouTube homepage and click on your profile icon at the top of the screen.
  2. Scroll down to the bottom of the drop-down menu. The last item is "Restricted Mode: On."
  3. Click the box and select the "Restricted Mode: Off" option. If Safety Mode is locked, you will receive a prompt that asks you to authenticate your Google account and password before you can disable Safety Mode.
  4. Click "Save" to ensure that Safety Mode is disabled.

    Adhere to YouTube's guidelines to allow a wider group of viewers to consume your content

    If you are keen to grow a wider viewership for your channel and secure monetization for your content, do check out my other articles:

    Build a content business with Tim Queen