Aug 24, 2026 - Education

Despite school ban, San Diego students keep trying YouTube

Claire Trageser

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

San Diego Unified students don't seem to be taking the new ban on YouTube lying down.

The big picture: YouTube and other streaming websites were blocked from students' school Chromebooks when school started two weeks ago. But that didn't stop students from trying to get their streaming fix.

Stunning stat: Students tried to access YouTube more than 1.6 million times, according to school spokesperson James Canning.

They were blocked more than 1.3 million times, and YouTube privileges were granted 266,547 times.

Context: There are more than 95,000 students across the district, Canning said.

So that equates to each student trying to get on YouTube at least three times a day since school started.

How it works: Teachers can allow kids to use YouTube and other streaming for educational purposes.

But non-educational video games and content are banned.

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Despite school ban, San Diego students keep trying YouTube

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