YouTube is rolling out new parental controls designed to help families manage how much time teens spend watching YouTube Shorts, including options to limit scrolling or block Shorts entirely. The update also expands reminder tools like Bedtime and Take a Break alerts and includes changes meant to make it easier for families to manage youth accounts in the app.
The new YouTube Shorts parental controls are aimed at supervised and under-18 experiences, giving parents more direct ways to shape what short-form viewing looks like at home. YouTube framed the changes as part of a broader push to support safer, more age-appropriate viewing for children and teenagers.
New limits for YouTube Shorts
Parents will be able to set a timer that limits how much time a child’s connected account can spend watching YouTube Shorts. YouTube also says parents can block Shorts entirely, either permanently or temporarily, such as during study time.
A new setting is intended to let parents limit the Shorts feed, and YouTube says parents will soon be able to set that limit to zero. YouTube describes this as an “industry-first” approach that gives parents direct control over short-form content consumption for teens.
Bedtime and “Take a Break” reminders
Alongside Shorts controls, parents of supervised accounts will be able to set custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders to nudge teens to stop watching and step away. These alerts build on mental health initiatives YouTube introduced in 2023.
TechCrunch also notes that Bedtime and Take a Break reminders exist as well-being tools for adults, who can choose to set their own limits and reminders. For teen users, YouTube says these well-being features are already turned on by default, and parents managing supervised accounts will be able to customize them.
Changes to teen recommendations
Beyond time limits, YouTube says it is working to improve the quality of content recommended to teen users. The company has introduced principles and a creator guide meant to define what high-quality teen content looks like, developed with input from young people as well as researchers and child-development specialists.
YouTube says these guidelines will be shared with creators worldwide and will influence how videos are recommended to teen accounts. The company says teen recommendations will more often feature instructional and informative content, including videos emphasizing learning, storytelling, and personal development.
Easier family account setup
YouTube says it is simplifying how accounts are created and managed so families can choose the right experience for each child. Teens are already automatically placed into protected under-18 accounts, and YouTube plans an updated sign-up experience.
YouTube plans to update sign-up within the app to make it easier for parents and kids to switch between an adult account and a child account with only a few taps. In the next few weeks, YouTube will invite parents to create a new child account and switch between accounts more seamlessly in the mobile app.
Why YouTube says it matters
YouTube says teens use the platform for many reasons, including studying, following creators, listening to podcasts, and watching sports highlights. The company says its goal is not to keep young users away from the digital world, but to protect them while they explore it responsibly.
YouTube’s youth strategy is focused on helping children build healthier viewing habits, strengthening security and age-appropriate content, and streamlining account setup for families. The new controls build on existing parental features for teens, including the ability to supervise a teen’s channel activity if they are creating content.
The rollout comes as online safety for minors remains a major topic internationally, including debates in some countries about restricting children’s access to social media platforms. YouTube says it developed these parental tools with input that included its Youth Advisory Committee and organizations such as the American Psychological Association and the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital.
