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YouTube Rolls Out Parental Timer for Shorts With Option to Block Teens’ Feed

The company will steer teen recommendations toward educational creators under new principles developed with youth and health experts.

Overview

  • Parents of supervised teen accounts can now set a Shorts feed time limit, with reported options from 15 minutes up to two hours and a zero‑minute setting to fully block Shorts arriving soon.
  • Custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders are available for supervised accounts, expanding on default wellbeing protections for users aged 13 to 17.
  • The new controls apply to protected under‑18 experiences, and kids and teens cannot change or disable these limits on their own.
  • YouTube published “high‑quality teen content” principles and a creator guide that will shape recommendations toward sources like Khan Academy, CrashCourse, and TED‑Ed, developed with input from UCLA, the APA, and Boston Children’s Hospital.
  • An updated sign‑up flow and easier in‑app account switching for families will roll out in the coming days and weeks as platforms face intensifying scrutiny of infinite‑scroll short‑form formats.