YouTube Will Let You Turn Off Shorts, but Only on Mobile

You can stop scrolling: YouTube just gave iOS And Android users the power to transform themselves YouTube Short Films completely.

YouTube short videos are similar to TikTok And Instagram Reels. Videos are designed to be quick bursts of content, but can lead to longer screen time than you initially anticipated. YouTube is rolling out a solution, at least for those using the YouTube mobile app.

The YouTube Shorts Timer lets you set how much time you want to spend watching YouTube Shorts. You can also set the timer to zero to stop seeing YouTube Shorts altogether. Google has instructions for turning off Shorts or enabling the timer in the YouTube app. You can limit your Shorts scrolling session to 15, 30, or 45 minutes, or an hour or two. When the timer is up, you will see a message saying that you have reached the set time limit, but you can ignore it. Google also says you can set reminders for bedtime and breaks.

The ability to set the timer to zero minutes is not yet available to everyone. A Google spokesperson told CNET that the feature was first made available to parents linked to supervised accounts. It is still being rolled out to all other users.

As a parent, I’m relieved to know that parents now have more control over screen time thanks to Google Family Link, a parental control app and website from Google and YouTube. It also makes me wonder what other screen time controls might be on the horizon.

YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A recent Pew Research Center study on teens who use TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram found that screen time on these social media apps affects their sleep and productivity. Meanwhile, teenagers use these apps for entertainment purposes and claim that these apps facilitate their friendships, which could be important for teenagers. However, parental controls, app settings, and other timers, like Brick, could prove useful if you’re consistent and set schedules for screen time without encroaching on your time to rest or do other tasks.

Last month, a California jury said the respective parent companies of YouTube and Instagram responsible in a landmark civil case brought by a woman who claimed the apps were designed to be addictive in children. YouTube owner Google has said the platform is a streaming service, not a social media site, and is considering an appeal.

YouTube says parents can use the timer to control how much time teens spend watching short films, including setting reminders for bedtime and breaks. Ohr Parents can turn off Shorts in the YouTube mobile app by setting the timer to 0 minutes.

The feature is only available on mobile, so Shorts cannot yet be disabled on desktop. TikTok deployed new time management features last year, including a journal of positive affirmations and missions to earn badges to reduce screen time.