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Inside YouTube

Giving schools control over the classroom video experience

Jul 21, 2026

YouTube is the most accessible library of learning content in the world, with 94% of teachers using the platform to bring their lessons to life. To support them, we built Player for Education, an embedded video player designed specifically for schools that strips away distractions and keeps the focus entirely on learning.

By default, students are restricted to watching teacher-assigned videos through Player for Education — completely free of ads, browsing, or recommendations. Allowing students to browse the broader YouTube platform for independent research is entirely optional and must be enabled by administrators after receiving parental consent.

A distraction-free environment

Player for Education changes how YouTube videos behave inside educational tools like Google Classroom, Slides, Sites, and Forms. It creates a structured environment built around student focus.

  • Zero ads: Students never see ads before, during, or after a video
  • No recommendations or browsing: The player completely removes the standard YouTube sidebar, recommended videos, and comments.
  • No links to the main platform: The player operates as a closed loop within school tools, meaning students cannot accidentally click through to the main YouTube site.

Absolute control for administrators and teachers

We believe teachers and administrators should be in the driver’s seat when it comes to technology in the classroom. Our entire approach is built around providing school systems with granular choices to manage how students engage with YouTube.

  • Off by default: YouTube is turned off by default for K-12 students on all edu accounts as well as school-managed Chromebooks.
  • Consent-based opt-in: If a school district wants to allow standard YouTube browsing, administrators must actively choose to enable it and obtain parental consent before any open access is granted to students.
  • Granular safety options: For schools that do choose to enable regular YouTube browsing, administrators have a variety of robust options to ensure students only engage with age-appropriate content, including blocking specific categories or channels, and setting strict age-based permissions.

Seamless integration and creator support

Player for Education is designed to integrate into existing educational workflows outside of the Google suite.

  • Ed-tech software availability: In addition to Google Workspace for Education, the player is designed to integrate into third-party education platforms and learning management systems, including Canvas, EdPuzzle, Seesaw and more.
  • Sustaining learning creators: While all advertising is completely removed from the student interface, all of the licensing fees paid by third-party platforms directly supports the independent educators, scientists, and creators who produce high-quality instructional videos. YouTube retains none of the fees.