US EditionYour teen’s YouTube Shorts scrolling can now have a hard cap
- On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, YouTube announced parental controls allowing parents to block Shorts or set timers, with YouTube saying `This is an industry-first feature that puts parents firmly in control of the amount of short-form content their kids watch.`
- YouTube says the updates aim to protect children while letting them explore responsibly, focusing on three strategic areas based on recommendations from parents and child-development specialists.
- Parents can choose preset Shorts timers including 30, 45, 60 minutes and two hours, while supervised accounts get customizable Bedtime and Take a Break reminders by default.
- Parents and caregivers get another tool to curb endless Shorts scrolling, with YouTube marketing suggesting use during homework or long car trips, while creator best practices feed an updated recommendation system promoting Khan Academy, CrashCourse and TED-Ed.
- Following last week's and last year's prior updates, YouTube is layering additional controls, expanding AI age verification and ID upload options amid reports of minors encountering graphic content and federal pressure.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Parents are going to be able to block access to the "Shorts" of YouTube — short videos and in vertical format. Algorithm is to prioritize tutorials and budget management instead of aesthetic pressure.
YouTube's gift to worried parents: Manage kids' Shorts content with new controls
Online video streaming platform YouTube has rolled out a new feature aimed at parents and guardians, allowing them to control how much time their children spend watching YouTube Shorts. This update gives millions of parents a powerful new tool to limit screen time and manage short-form video consumption. YouTube Shorts, a short-video format similar to Instagram Reels, often keeps viewers, both adults and children, engaged for hours as they scrol…
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ji-eun Oh = YouTube has updated its protection feature to allow parents to disable their children's short feeds.
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