Understanding YouTube Settings at Your School
This guide helps you understand how your school controls what students and staff can see on YouTube.
Think of it like this:
Web Filtering is the school's security guard at the front door. It decides whether you can access YouTube at all (block or allow). Your school can set different rules for different groups, like blocking YouTube for students but allowing it for teachers.
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YouTube Modes are like the rules inside the building. They decide what kind of content you can see once you're inside. Your school has three options:
Strict: The safest option, which filters out almost all potentially inappropriate content.
Moderate: Allows some content that Strict mode would block, but still filters out pornography and other adult material.
Open: Has no restrictions and is not suitable for schools.
You can find out which YouTube mode you are using in school by visiting youtubemode.lgfl.net.
Remember that you cannot have different modes for different users, and what is visible on each of the modes, is down to YouTube's algorithm.
These content settings are managed by your school's DNS (Domain Name System) settings. DNS is like the internet's phonebook—it translates a website name (like youtube.com) into a computer-friendly address. By changing the DNS settings, your school can tell all devices on its network which "mode" to use for YouTube.
If you are a non-technical person who needs to understand the options, you can watch the video and read the non-technical guide at youtube.lgfl.net.
If you are a technical person and need to change these settings, you can refer to the detailed instructions here.