How to keep a child inside one video app with Guided Access

Guided Access temporarily keeps an iPhone or iPad inside one app. Enable it in Settings under Accessibility, configure the passcode, open the chosen app and start a Guided Access session using the device's supported shortcut. You can restrict touch, parts of the screen and session time. It does not decide which videos inside the app are appropriate.

Set it up before the handoff

Open Settings, Accessibility and Guided Access. Enable the feature and set its passcode options. Choose a code distinct from one the child already uses.

Apple supports biometric options for ending sessions on compatible devices. Review those settings before relying on a particular unlock method.

Practice starting and ending a session yourself. This is easier than learning the exit procedure while the child is waiting for the device.

Start the session in the video app

Open the intended app and select the viewing setup. Use the Guided Access shortcut for your device and operating-system version. Depending on the model, the relevant button is the side, top or Home button, and the accessibility shortcut configuration can affect what menu appears.

Follow the on-screen controls to begin the session. Apple's current support page is the best reference for version-specific button behavior.

Do not tell a child the device is locked until you have tested the normal exit gesture.

Decide which touch controls remain

You can disable touch or mark areas of the screen that should not respond. This may help when a toddler repeatedly taps playback controls.

Screen regions are a positional restriction. Rotating the device or changing the app layout can move controls relative to the regions you marked. Test the orientation and playback mode you plan to use.

If you disable all touch, the child also loses useful controls such as pause. Choose the amount of interaction deliberately.

Use the session time limit

Guided Access can limit the current session. Set the duration in its session options and test expiration with a short trial.

For recurring daily schedules on a child's own device, Screen Time is usually the more appropriate Apple tool. The time-limit guide explains the difference between the current handoff and a daily allowance.

Ending or pausing Guided Access uses Apple's authenticated session controls. Keep the current Apple instructions available if your device version behaves differently from an older tutorial.

What stays available inside the app

The device remains in the chosen app, but that app may still contain search, recommendations or access to more videos. Locking ordinary adult YouTube leaves its content model unchanged.

Choose the viewing content first. The YouTube control guide covers approved lists and supervised experiences. The broader iPhone and iPad setup combines those decisions with device controls.

Guided Access is useful for a temporary handoff. It works best when the app already presents the choices you want the child to have.