YouTube has announced a new set of parental control tools that will allow parents to limit or completely block access to YouTube Shorts for teen users, addressing growing concerns over excessive screen time and addictive scrolling habits.

Parents can now cap Shorts usage

Under the new update, parents supervising a teen’s YouTube account can set daily time limits for Shorts, ranging from two hours down to zero minutes. This means parents can temporarily block Shorts when children need to focus on studies, or allow limited access during travel or leisure time.

YouTube said the feature is designed to help families manage how teens engage with short-form video content, which many parents and experts believe encourages compulsive use.

Stronger digital wellbeing controls

The platform is also expanding bedtime reminders and “take a break” alerts, which were already applied by default to users under 18. Parents can now customise these prompts to better suit their child’s routine.

In addition, YouTube has introduced a simplified sign-up process for supervised teen accounts and made it easier to switch between adult and minor profiles on shared devices.

Safer content recommendations for teens

YouTube said it is updating its recommendation systems for teenage users to prioritise content focused on curiosity, creativity, life skills, and wellbeing. Videos that could lead teens into potentially harmful content loops—such as those idealising extreme body standards—will continue to be restricted.

The platform had earlier announced it would use Artificial intelligence to estimate users’ ages and automatically place suspected minors into safer, under-18 settings, regardless of the age entered at sign-up.

Wider push across tech platforms

Other major platforms, including Instagram and ChatGPT, have also rolled out enhanced protections for younger users amid increasing scrutiny from families and lawmakers.

Meanwhile, YouTube’s parent company Google recently clarified that teens aged 13 and above will now require parental approval before removing account supervision—following criticism from child safety advocates.

YouTube said the latest changes aim to ensure protections remain in place until both parents and teens feel ready to move forward responsibly.