Why YouTube Keeps Playing the Next Video, and How to Turn It Off on Your Phone

You hand over the phone for one cartoon and take it back forty minutes later. The video did not get longer. YouTube's Autoplay feature started another related video the moment the first one ended, and then another. It is a setting, and on your phone you can switch it off in about fifteen seconds.

What does YouTube autoplay actually do

When Autoplay is on, another related video plays automatically after the current one ends. That is how Google's own YouTube Help page describes it, as a way of making it easier to decide what to watch next. For a child, it removes the decision altogether. Nobody has to choose anything, so nobody gets a natural moment to stop.

How do you turn autoplay off on an Android phone or iPhone

On a video's watch screen, tap the Autoplay switch at the top of the player to set it to Off. You can also do it from settings: tap your profile picture, tap Settings at the top right, tap Autoplay, and switch it off. Those are the steps on YouTube's own help page for both Android and iOS. There is also a Cancel button at the end of a video if you only want to stop one next video.

Does the setting stay off on every device

No. YouTube's help page says you can have different Autoplay settings for different devices. You could have it on in the app on your phone and off on your computer. The same goes in the other direction, so if the family also watches on a TV or a tablet, each one has its own setting and needs its own check.

Will autoplay ever stop by itself

Eventually, but not soon. According to the help page, on a mobile network Autoplay stops if you have been inactive for 30 minutes, and on Wi-Fi it stops automatically after 4 hours. That is a long time for a small child watching at home. It also says that scrolling past the player or typing something, like a search, stops the next video from playing.

Is turning autoplay off enough

It helps, and it is worth doing, but it is not a time limit. With Autoplay off, a child still has to tap to start the next video, and a young child will often do exactly that. The page also notes that, for users aged 13 to 17, Autoplay is off by default. It does not say the same for younger children, so do not assume it is already off on your phone. Check it once, then decide whether the video app should be open at all during certain hours.

Autoplay is one small setting, and it is the one that quietly turns one cartoon into forty minutes.