Whether at work or home, YouTube is one of the most visited content hosting websites on the internet. It hosts a variety of content from many content creators, in different fields of interest. YouTube also does not restrict what kind of content is posted on the platform, but it can demonetize the content it does not see fit for consumption, or age restrict some content.
YouTube Age Restriction
The age restriction is applied on videos by a review team, which either acts upon the video itself, or some user complaints submitted via the review section. The age restricted flag means that the video cannot be seen by someone who is not logged into Google or YouTube, someone under the age of 18, and the users who have restricted mode enabled.
A certain video can be age restricted if the video contains some violent actions, disturbing images, bad-mannered language, NSFW content, or portrayal of harmful activities. Age restriction is a good security measure, preventing certain age groups from accessing inappropriate content.
When a video is restricted, users get an error message that says, “Sorry this content is age-restricted. Sign in to confirm your age. This video may be inappropriate for some users”.
How To Watch Age Restricted Videos On YouTube?
If you are the owner of a channel on YouTube, the restricted mode feature can prevent your videos from being accessible by underage users. This also blocks some videos from being shown on the site. This setting is usually set by the administrator, or parents to prevent minors from watching inappropriate content.
Turn Restricted Mode Off
If you are above 18 years and YouTube still shows you age restrictions, it may be due to the Restricted Mode feature being turned on. You can solve this by turning off the feature, which can be accessed from the account settings. Follow these steps for the same:
- Open YouTube and log into your account. You will require to log into your account to save this change for the browser that you use to access YouTube.
- Click on your profile button to reveal the additional menu.
- Scroll to the bottom end of the list, and click on Restricted mode.
- Change the restricted mode toggle towards off to turn the feature off.
Now, refresh the tab. You should be able to see all the content without any restrictions.
Watch Age Restricted Videos On YouTube Without Signing In
If you are wondering how to remove the age restriction on YouTube, you cannot. YouTube blocks content for you according to the age that you used while creating your Google account. Thus, officially, you will have to wait until you get to the proper age group.
However, if your internet research requires you to view a video that is age restricted by YouTube, there are two workarounds you can try. These methods will allow you to view YouTube age restriction flagged content, without having to log into your Google or YouTube account.
Method 1: Use Nsfwyoutube
A library website for YouTube, this website plays the YouTube video in an extracted format, eliminating the need to sign in to your account. All you need to do is add a simple prefix to the video URL.
All you need to do is simply add NSFW before YouTube in the video link. E.g., https://www.nsfwyoutube.com/watch?v=j3CpEQNNI7Q (not NSFW, you can click on it) is the link to one of our videos, which you can watch without logging into YouTube.
Method 2: Use Embed Links
You can also try to extract the video link using an embed link. This method also involves modifying the URL, as the extracted link is actually similar to the watch link as well.
All you need to do is replace the watch part with the embed link. Here is the example of the same link as above:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3CpEQNNI7Q In this link, replace ‘/watch?v=’ with ‘/embed/’ to make the link as follows:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/j3CpEQNNI7Q
This should allow you to view the video in an embed format, without having to log into the platform.
Note: YouTube keeps changing its algorithm continuously. Thus, some methods may not work for you depending on how strict the restriction is and how your account is set up. Make sure to try both methods in case one does not work out.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know how to watch age restricted videos on YouTube using the information provided above. Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.