Suppose you are not old enough to watch a particular video on YouTube. In that case, you may see an error message that says, “This video is unavailable.
Learn more.” This can be annoying if you try to watch a music video or something else that you know is appropriate for your age group. Fortunately, there is a way to bypass this age restriction. By following a few simple steps, you can access any YouTube video, regardless of its age rating.
First, open the video you want to watch in your web browser. Next, click on the URL in the address bar and add the letters “nsfw” after “youtube.com.” For example, if the URL is “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123,” you would change it to “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123nsfw.” When you hit enter, the page will refresh, and the age restriction will be lifted.
Let’s look at what you should know before removing age restrictions on YouTube and its benefits.
Benefits of Removing Age Restrictions on YouTube
Here are several reasons why this age restriction should be removed.
- First, many children use YouTube without their parent’s knowledge or permission.
- Second, even if parents do supervise their children’s YouTube usage, the age restriction prevents them from watching certain videos that they may want to see.
- Finally, the age restriction does not guarantee that children will not be exposed to inappropriate content; a recent study found that 12% of 6- to 12-year-olds have seen online pornography.
Disadvantages of Removing Age Restrictions on YouTube
While there are certainly some advantages to removing age restrictions on YouTube, several potential disadvantages should be considered.
- One concern is that younger children would be exposed to inappropriate content. YouTube is home to a wealth of user-generated videos. While the site does use algorithms and flagging to remove offensive material, not everything is caught.
There is also the risk that predators could use the platform to target young children.
- Another potential disadvantage is that YouTube might become overloaded with ads targeted at children if advertisers realized that they would no longer be restricted by age restrictions. This could make the site less enjoyable for everyone involved.
How to Remove Age Restriction on YouTube
By following a few simple steps, you can access any YouTube video, regardless of its age rating.
Add or Update Your Date of Birth
The first step is to ensure that your date of birth is entered correctly in your Google account. By visiting the Google Accounts page and signing in with your account information, you can do this.
Once you are signed in, click on the “Personal info” tab and select “Birthday.” Enter your date of birth and then click “Save.”
Enter an Incognito Window or Private Browsing Mode
The next step is to open an incognito window or private browsing mode in your web browser. In Google Chrome, you can open an incognito window by clicking on the three dots in the browser’s top-right corner and then selecting “New incognito window.”
In Mozilla Firefox, you can open a private browsing window by clicking on the menu button in the browser’s top-right corner and then selecting “New Private Window.”
Visit the YouTube Video
Once you have opened an incognito window or private browsing mode, you can visit the YouTube video that you want to watch. You will be able to watch the video without any age restrictions.
Conclusion
By following the steps outlined above, you can bypass the age restrictions on any YouTube video. However, keep in mind that your browsing history will not be saved and that you may still see age-restricted videos in your recommendations. Also, this method will not work if the video is set to private or if it has been age-restricted by the uploader.
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