YouTube

Google's new age-based restrictions have changed the availability of YouTube for users under 18. Students can no longer access the YouTube Service directly. However, students can view YouTube videos that their teacher shares with them using one of the methods described below.

Google introduced these stricter age-based YouTube restrictions primarily to align with evolving global child privacy laws and limit digital safety risks for minors.

Access for Brookline Staff and Students

Brookline staff have Unrestricted Access, and the YouTube Service is turned on. Staff can create playlists, channels, and upload videos. You can learn more about managing your account here. Teachers can display YouTube videos to students using a projector.

Students cannot access YouTube directly. However, teachers can share videos for individual student use with these tools:

Google Sites, Slides, and Forms.
Canvas (6-12) via the Rich Conent Editor
Edpuzzle Assignment in Canvas (6-12)
Google Classroom (K-5)
Other products including Padlet, Book Creator, and more

Students attempting to view a video on YouTube will see this message. To share a video, use one of the methods listed.

How to Share YouTube Video with Students

Insert a YouTube Video into Google Slides

Students can view YouTube videos that are inserted into Slides, Sites or Forms.

From the Insert menu, select "Video."
Paste a specific YouTube URL or use the search box to find a video.

Students can view the inserted video without encountering advertisements or suggested videos.

Teachers can also use the "Share: Publish to the Web" option to make the Slides with videos accessible via a link.

2. Embed a YouTube Video to Canvas

Students can view YouTube videos that are embedded into a Canvas Assignment, Page, or Announcement.

The video MUST be embedded via the "Plugin" tool.
Teachers can search for videos directly within Canvas.
Note: Teachers can't search by the YouTube URL. However, you can copy the exact YouTube video name from your YouTube accounts and paste the name in the Search field.

You can learn more here:
How do I link to or embed a YouTube video in the Rich Content Editor? (Be sure to use the embed option, not the linking option)

3. Create an Edpuzzle Assignment in Canvas

Brookline teachers in grades 6-12 can create assignments in Edpuzzle. Any Youtube video used in an Edpuzzle assignment will be viewable by students.

To create an Edpuzzle assignment, you must set up the EdPuzzle app to integrate in each course. After setup, use the LTI option for assignment submission.

You can find complete instructions here:
How to Assign a Video Lesson on Canvas

4. Attach a YouTube Video to a Google Classroom Assignment

Teachers can select a YouTube video and add it to a Classroom Assignment. YouTube videos can also be added to Announcements in the Class Stream.

Students can view the selected videos without advertisements. This is the best option for K-5 teachers.

5. Create a YouTube Playlist in Google Slides or in a Google Site

Many teachers create YouTube playlists for students to provide a collection of videos on a topic. However, students can no longer follow a direct link to a teacher-created YouTube playlist.

Instead, teachers can:

Create a Google Slideshow with a video(s) inserted into each slide. Once shared with students, additional videos can be added, and the shared slide deck will be updated automatically.
Insert videos (not link or embed) into a Google Site. This allows teachers to build a repository of YouTube videos in a Google Site, which is a clean and quick way to share videos with students.

6. Create a YouTube Playlist in Padlet

Adding a collection of YouTube videos into a Padlet is quick and easy. A dozen or more videos can be added in a few moments. Teachers can share the Padlets with students through their brookline.padlet.org account.

Select the YouTube option in Padlet.

Search YouTube and click to insert videos.

Students can view a playlist of videos.

Some Videos May be Unavailable for Viewing by Students

YouTube’s automated system to filter out potential obscene, hateful, or violent content sometimes affects student access to videos shared with students. Many videos may be unavailable. YouTube's filters are not perfect and some seemingly appropriate videos are blocked. Often, a wider search will yield videos with similar content that are not blocked.

Students attempting to view a restricted video will see this Message. YouTube filters have blocked this video.

Why Did Youtube Access Change?

Google introduced these stricter age-based YouTube restrictions primarily to align with evolving global child privacy laws, limit digital safety risks for minors, and protect school districts from legal liability.

Key Drivers Behind the Policy

Evolving Privacy & Child Protection Laws: Regulations worldwide—including the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), the UK Age Appropriate Design Code, and Europe’s GDPR—mandate strict "safety by design" standards for young users. Setting default restrictions for accounts designated as under 18 ensures both Google and schools stay compliant with these mandates.
Elimination of Data Tracking and Targeted Ads: Standardized age settings automatically block data collection for targeted advertising, personalized tracking, and cross-site profiling on school accounts. This guarantees that student behavior on official school credentials is not monetized or tracked.
Mitigating Online Harms and Cyberbullying: Features like public commenting, channel creation, and live streaming carry risks of cyberbullying, harassment, and contact with unknown adults. Restricting interactive social features reduces exposure to these hazards during educational activity.
Reducing Algorithmic Distractions: Disabling personalized recommendation feeds, autoplay loops, and endless-scroll formats like YouTube Shorts prevents students from falling into algorithmic rabbit holes during class or while completing schoolwork.