Like many of you, I was also furious to block some YouTube channels from appearing on my YouTube homepage and search results. I used sources from Google Search results to find a solution. After reading multiple articles, all I saw was click on the three-dots icon (kebab menu) and then select Don’t recommend channel. Yes, this will stop showing the channel on your YouTube home feed. But it won’t really block the YouTube channel.
Also, what about the search results? I mean, if you don’t like videos from a certain creator(s), then why would you even want to see them in the search results?
So now the question is: what can I do to stop seeing a particular YouTube channel if blocking is not an option? Well, I do have a workaround for that. If you use YouTube from a desktop browser, you can install an extension called BlockTube or YTBlock. The next time you click on the three-dots icon next to the video title, this will give you the option of blocking the specific video or the channel from YouTube.
It works so well that even when you enter the channel name, it will not show up in the search results. However, let me make one thing clear: you’re not actually blocking the channel. The extension just hides the channel from appearing in your YouTube feed and search results.
The one limitation is that it won’t stop the channel from appearing in YouTube Shorts. To get rid of them there as well, the only option is to frequently select Don’t recommend this channel whenever the video pops up in Shorts. At some point, YouTube may stop showing content from there as well. Unfortunately, there isn’t any workaround for the YouTube mobile app.
Can I Block a Channel on YouTube Kids?
Thankfully, yes. Clicking on the three-dots icon next to the channel will give you the option to block it. You can also choose to block a particular video on the platform by again clicking the three-dots icon.
If in the future you decide to unblock the channel, you can select the profile from the My Kids section, enter the Google password, and then select the Unblock Videos option. While we’re on the topic, you can check the complete guide on YouTube Kids.
You may wonder why the block option is available on YouTube Kids, but not on main YouTube. It’s because YouTube Kids is designed to give parents more control over what their children watch, ensuring a safer viewing environment, whereas YouTube is geared towards adult users who make their own content choices.
Why Is There No Official Way to Block a YouTube Channel
There’s no clear answer regarding this question. YouTube has also never shared the reason anywhere. However, I do have my theories about the same:
- YouTube’s algorithm is already good enough to understand users’ interests. For example, if you stop watching videos from a channel you’ve subscribed to, it may stop showing up on your homepage or in your recommendations. This lowers the need for blocking channels outright.
- The blocking mechanism can be exploited or misused and can be used for malicious activities, like a hate campaigns. For example, a quarrel between two influencers from YouTube and TikTok caused the TikTok rating to drop from 4.5 stars to 2.0 stars in the Play Store.
- If users start blocking channels, they might miss out on different viewpoints. For example, I used to dislike a content creator because of his online image and political views. But YouTube, knowing my interests, sometimes suggested his videos to me. And one day, I decided to watch one, and guess what? Now, I’m a regular viewer. If I had blocked that channel, I’d have missed out on expanding my perspective.
- You may miss out on hidden gems. I agree you may not like some content from a channel and may block them to avoid seeing them on your YouTube homepage or search results. But you never know. They may start creating some awesome content, and you may miss out on that.
The Truth About YouTube Channel Blocking
While I generally trust YouTube’s algorithm, and it usually suggests relevant videos to me, sometimes it goes overboard and bombards my homepage with recommendations from a particular channel. To make matters worse, these channels also show up in search results. You can use a browser extension to hide such channels, but there’s not much you can do about it on the YouTube app.
I hope this guide has clarified the reality of YouTube blocking. So, the next time you hear someone say you can block a YouTube channel, you won’t be misled, as there isn’t any official method.
