YouTube adds parental controls to restrict or block Shorts feed for teen users

In a significant update, YouTube is enhancing its parental control features, enabling parents to limit or completely block access to the Shorts feed for teenage users. This decision comes amid increasing concerns regarding the addictive qualities of short-form video content. According to a blog post from the company, parents managing supervised accounts can now set a specific ‘Shorts Feed Limit,’ with options to restrict viewing from two hours down to zero minutes. By selecting the zero-minute limit, parents can effectively remove the Shorts feed from their teen's interface, allowing them to enforce restrictions during school hours or at bedtime. This move aims to address worries about excessive screen time and the effects of endless scrolling, particularly on younger audiences. In addition to the Shorts restrictions, YouTube is broadening its digital wellbeing tools. Parents will now be able to establish customizable 'bedtime reminders' and 'take a break' notifications tailored to their child's daily schedule. Furthermore, the platform plans to introduce a revamped sign-up process and a more efficient account-switching feature for families that share devices, facilitating easier transitions between adult and supervised teen profiles on smartphones and tablets. YouTube is also refining its recommendation system for younger users to prioritize content that fosters learning, creativity, and emotional health. The platform intends to highlight videos from educational channels such as Khan Academy, CrashCourse, and TED-Ed. This update is designed to strengthen existing measures in place to prevent 'unhealthy content loops' and minimize the promotion of videos that could lead to unrealistic body standards or other harmful trends. These enhancements build upon YouTube's AI-driven age estimation system, which was introduced in 2025, ensuring protections for users under 18 even if they register with an adult birthdate. These changes come as regulatory bodies and child advocacy organizations worldwide increase their scrutiny of social media platforms regarding the psychological impacts of infinite-scroll designs, commonly referred to by Gen Z as 'doom scrolling.' By enabling parents to fully block certain content formats, YouTube is positioning this update as a groundbreaking step in parental control measures. These features are set to be rolled out under the 'Shorts Feed Limit' section of YouTube’s parental settings menu in the coming weeks.