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YouTube Without the Rabbit Holes

YouTube is full of useful lessons. It is also built to keep you watching: recommendations, Shorts, related videos, and autoplay. Unbinge is a free Chrome and Edge extension that makes YouTube quieter so you can stay on channels you actually chose.

The problem

A homework video can turn into an hour of unrelated clips. That is not a willpower failure — it is how the homepage, sidebar, and Shorts shelf are designed. Parents, students, and self-learners often want the video, not the feed around it.

How Unbinge helps

Unbinge does not replace YouTube. It sits in the browser and applies rules you control:

  • Education Mode only allows channels on the shared approved list (plus any you approve locally).
  • Distraction settings can hide Shorts, comments, recommendations, end screens, trending, the homepage feed, autoplay, and similar UI — each toggle is optional.
  • Age profiles (Kids, Teens, Adult/Parent) change which whitelist channels are used.

It does not block every possible YouTube surface, and it does not review every video on an approved channel. You still pick what to watch inside those channels.

Key features that exist today

Channel whitelist

The default is restricted: start from approved educational channels, then add more locally if you need them. Repeat requests go to the global review queue. See how to install and sync or suggest a channel for global review.

Distraction filters

Turn filters off entirely with the master switch, or reset to defaults. Details are in the FAQ.

Profiles

Kids, Teens, and Adult/Parent apply different slices of the same public whitelist. Switch them in the extension popup. The homepage profiles section summarises the three groups.

How it works

  1. Install the extension

    Add Unbinge from the Chrome Web Store (works in Chrome, Edge, and other Chromium browsers).

  2. Pick a profile

    Choose Kids, Teens, or Adult/Parent so the whitelist matches the learner.

  3. Turn on Education Mode

    YouTube then only opens allowed channels; other pages show Unbinge’s blocked screen.

  4. Tune distractions

    Hide Shorts or the home feed if you still want less noise on allowed pages.

Who it’s for

Students who need one lecture without the next-up carousel. Parents who want a tighter YouTube than the default homepage. Teachers and self-learners who already know which channels they trust. It is not a YouTube Kids replacement and is not “guaranteed safe for every child.”

Related resources

Does Unbinge require a YouTube account?

No. Unbinge runs in the browser. You do not create an Unbinge account. Channel requests only send the YouTube link you submit — see the privacy policy.

Install Unbinge